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I 


THE     COMPLETE     WORKS 

OF 

SAINT  ALPHONSUS  DE  LIGUORI, 

DOCTOR  OF  THE  CHURCH, 

Bishop  of  Saint  Agatha,  and  Founder  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most 
Holy  Redeemer. 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  ITALIAN. 

EDITED  BY 

IRE^T-     IE  TJ  C-  IE  3ST  E      O-  IR  I  HUE  3VC  , 

Priest  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer. 


THE    ASCETICAL   WORKS. 
Volume  XII. 

DIGNITY  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  PRIEST; 

OE, 

SELVA. 

A  COLLECTION   OF   MATERIAL  FOR   ECCLESIASTICAL   RETREATS. 
RULE  OF  LIFE  AND  SPIRITUAL  RULES, 


®tntcnarj;  IStrition. 
THE  COMPLETE  ASGETICAL  VOEKS 

OF 

ST.  ALPHONSUS  DE  LIQUOR!, 

18  vols.,  Price,  per  vol.,  net,   $1.25. 

Each  book  is  complete  in  itself,  and  any  volume  will  6« 
gold  separtite1y» 


Volume    I. 

II. 

«'       III. 

*'        IV. 

V. 

VI. 

"      VII. 


PREPARATION  FOR  DEATH  ;  or,  Considerations  on  the  Eter 
nal  Truths.    Maxims  of  Eternity— Rule  of  Life. 
WAY  OF  SALVATION  AND  OF  PERFECTION  :     Meditations. 
Pious  Reflections.     Spiritual  Treatises. 

GREAT  MEANS  OF  SALVATION  AND  OF  PERFECTION  : 
Prayer.  Mental  Prayer.  The  Exercises  of  a  Retreat. 
Choice  of  a  State  of  Life,  and  the  Vocation  to  the 
Religious  State  and  to  the  Priesthood. 

THE  INCARNATION,  BIRTH  AND  INFANCY  OF  JESUS 
CHRIST  ;  or,  The  Mysteries  of  Faith. 

THE  PASSION  AND  THE  DEATH  of  JESUS  CHRIST. 

THE  HOLY  EUCHARIST.  The  Sacrifice,  the  Sacrament, 
and  the  Sacred  Heart  of  Jesus  Christ.  Practice  of  Love 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Novena  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 
VIII.  GLORIES  OF  MART:  i.  Explanation  of  the  Salve 
Regina,  or  Hail,  Holy  Queen.  Discourses  on  the  Feasts 
of  Mary.  2.  Her  Dolors.  Her  Virtues.  Practices. 
Examples.  Answers  to  Critics. — Devotion  to  the  Holy 
Angels.  Devotion  to  St.  Joseph.  Novena  to  St.  Teresa. 
Novena  for  the  Repose  of  the  Souls  in  Purgatory. 

VICTORIES  OF  THE  MARTYRS  ;  or,  the  Lives  of  the  Most 
Celebrated  Martyrs  of  the  Church. 

XL  THE  TRUE  SPOUSE  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  :  i.  The  first 
sixteen  Chapters.  2.  The  last  eight  Chapters.  Appendix 
and  various  small  Works.  Spiritual  Letters. 

DIGNITY  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  PRIEST  ;  or,  SELVA,  a 
collection  of  Material  for  Ecclesiastical  Retreats.  Rule 
of  Life  and  Spiritual  Rules. 

THE  HOLY  MASS  :  Sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ.  Ceremonies 
of  the  Mass.  Preparation  and  Thanksgiving.  The  Mass 
and  the  Office  that  are  hurriedly  said. 

THE  DIVINE  OFFICE  :  Explanation  of  the  Psalms  and 
Canticles. 

PREACHING  : 
Counsels. 
Sacraments. 

SERMONS  FOR  SUNDAYS. 

VARIOUS  SMALLER  WORKS  :  Discourses  on  Calamities. 
Reflections  useful  for  Bishops.  Seminaries.  Ordi 
nances.  Letters. 

CONGREGATION  OF  THE  MOST  HOLY  REDEEMER  :  Rule. 
Instructions  about  the  Religious  State.  Letters  and 
Circulars.  Lives  of  two  Fathers  and  of  a  Lay-brother. 
General  Alphabetical  Index. 

Benziger  Brothers,  New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Chicago. 


IX. 
X. 

"      XII. 
"    XIII. 

"     XIV. 

"       XV. 


11     XVI. 
"  XVII. 


'XVIII. 


The    Exercises   of   the    Missions.     Various 
Instructions    on    the    Commandments   and 


DIGNITY  AND  DUTIES 
OF  THE  PRIEST; 

OR, 

SELVA. 

A  COLLECTION  OF  MATERIALS  FOR  ECCLESIASTICAL  RE 
TREATS.    RULE  OF  LIFE  AND  SPIRITUAL  RULES. 

BY 

ST.   ALPHONSUS    DE    LIGUORI, 

Doctor  of  the  Church. 

EDITED    BY 

REV.    EUGENE    GRIMM, 

Priest  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer. 


NEW  YORK,  CINCINNATI,  CHICAGO: 


Printers  to  the  Holy  Apostolic  See. 

R.  WASHBOURNE,  M.  H.  GILL  &  SON, 

18  PATERNOSTER  Row,  LONDON.  50  UPPER  O'CONNELL  STREET,  DUBLIN. 

1889. 


APPROBATION. 

By  virtue  of  the  authority  granted  me  by  the  Most  Rev.  Nicholas 
Mauron,  Superior-General  of  the  Congregation  of  the  Most  Holy 
Redeemer,  I  hereby  sanction  the  publication  of  the  work  entitled 
""  DIGNITY  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  PRIEST,"  etc.,  which  is  Volume  XII. 
of  the  new  and  complete  edition  in  English  of  the  works  of  St. 
Alphonsus  de  Liguori,  called  "  The  Centenary  Edition." 
ELIAS  FRED.  SCHAUER, 

Sup.  Prov.  Baltimore)! sis. 

BALTIMORE,  MD.,  August  15,  1888. 


Copyright,  1888,  by  Elias  Frederick  Schauer. 


NOTICE. 


WE  begin  the  series  of  works  composed  especially  for 
the  clergy.1  The  work  that  comes  first  appeared  in  1760 
after  the  True  Spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  when  the  author 
had  attained  the  age  of  sixty-four.  It  is  the  fruit  of  re 
searches  and  of  studies  that  he  had  made  during  nearly 
forty  years,  either  for  the  purpose  of  regulating  his  own 
conduct,  or  of  directing  ecclesiastical  retreats,  and  ex 
ercises  which,  by  order  of  the  archbishop,  he  preached  for 
the  first  time  to  the  clergy  of  Naples,  in  1732,  when  he 
had  been  a  priest  only  six  years.  He  was  then  regarded 
as  a  model  for  imitation,  and  as  a  master  worthy  of  being 
intrusted  with  the  duty  of  educating  ministers  of  the 
sanctuary  of  every  grade. 

This  book  is  one  that  has  had  most  success,  thus 
giving  us  a  high  idea  of  the  good  that  it  has  effected. 
It  was  at  once  translated  into  the  principal  languages  of 
Europe.  There  are  at  least  five  translations  of  it  in 
French,  among  which  the  translation  by  Mgr.  Gaume, 
an  author  of  very  many  valuable  works,  deservedly 
holds  a  high  rank.  To  several  of  these  translations  the 
first  word  of  the  Italian  title  Selva*  has  been  given,  the 
word  Selva  meaning  wood,  forest,  material,  collection  of 

1  Volumes  XIII.  and  XIV.  treat  of  the  Holy  Mass  and  of  the  divine 
Office;    volumes  XV.  and   XVI.   of   missions  and  of  preaching,  and 
a  subsequent  volume  containing  Pastoral  letters. 

2  Selva   di   materie  predicabili  ed  istruttive,  per  dare  gli  esercizj  ai 
Preti,  ed  anche  per  uso  di  lezione  privata  a  prcprio profitto  ;  the  transla 
tion  of  this  we  give  as  the  sub-title  of  the  work. 


6  Notice. 

matter.  We  have,  however,  preferred  to  give  to  this 
work  and  to  this  volume  a  title  that  clearly  expresses 
its  aim,  namely,  DIGNITY  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  PRIEST. 

The  author  informs  us  in  his  preface  that  he  did  not 
endeavor  to  put  much  order  into  the  collection  of  ideas 
suitable  for  each  subject;  we,  however,  perceive  that 
there  is  more  order  in  it  than  he  would  have  us  believe. 
In  order  the  better  to  understand  the  author,  we  have, 
as  much  as  possible,  divided  each  subject  into  para 
graphs;  by  such  an  arrangement  the  subjects  are  not 
only  more  easily  grasped  and  retained,  but  we  may  most 
conveniently  use  this  book  either  for  meditation  or  for 
spiritual  reading. 

We  think  it  to  be  not  amiss  if  we  call  to  mind  what 
we  have  elsewhere  said,  namely,  that  all  the  citations 
from  authors,  accompanied  by  references  to  the  margin, 
have  been  carefully  verified  and  corrected  when  neces 
sary.  St.  Alphonsus  was  not  always  able  to  draw  from 
original  sources:  he  was  often  obliged  to  content  him 
self  with  what  was  offered  him  by  the  authors  whom  he 
had  at  hand,  and  who  themselves  only  reproduced  the 
mistakes  of  their  predecessors,  which  were  increased  by 
the  mistakes  of  copyists  or  of  printers.  Hence  it  was 
necessary  to  consult  the  original  texts  in  order  to  obtain 
exact  citations. 

As  to  the  value  and  utility  of  this  Collection,  we  take 
pleasure  in  quoting  the  following  passage  from  the 
preface  of  Mgr.  Gaume: 

"  We  have  Massillon,  Sevoy,  le  Miroir  du  dergc.  What 
have  you  ? — three  authorities  that  are  without  doubt  re 
spectable;  but  they  are,  after  all,  private  authorities, 
and  your  reason,  so  often  the  dupe  of  such  authorities, 
hesitates,  distrusts,  and  using  its  right,  judges,  adopts, 
rejects,  and  never  raises  itself  to  a  philosophical  faith. 
Useful  at  all  times,  these  works — monuments  of  elo 
quence  or  of  piety — suffice  no  longer  at  the  present  day. 


Notice.  7 

To  the  vast  development  of  error  we  must  oppose  the 
analogous  development  of  truth;  to  this  invasion  of 
private  spirit  we  must  oppose  the  imposing  authority  of 
the  Catholic  spirit.  Read  Selva,  and  say  whether  it  is 
possible  to  reach  this  end  in  a  better  manner.  Here  is 
not  man's  thought  that  is  given  to  you  as  a  rule  for 
your  thought:  it  is  the  thought  of  ages;  it  is  not  the 
Bishop  of  St.  Agatha; '  it  is  solely  tradition  that  preaches 
that  instructs,  that  forbids,  that  commands,  that  en 
courages,  or  that  terrifies.  This  book  is  as  a  sacred 
tribune  from  which  speak  one  after  another  the  prophets, 
the  apostles,  the  apostolic  men,  the  martyrs,  the  soli 
taries,  the  most  illustrious  pontiffs  of  the  East  and  the 
West,  the  most  famous  Doctors,  the  most  skilful  masters 
of  the  science  of  the  saints,  the  successors  of  St.  Peter 
and  the  councils,  the  organs  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  in  a 
word,  antiquity,  the  middle  ages,  modern  times,  the 
entire  Church. 

"In  the  midst  of  this  august  assembly  what  does  the 
holy  bishop  do  ?  Nearly  always  he  limits  his  task  to  the 
modest  role  of  a  narrator;  often  even  he  leaves  to  you 
the  care  of  drawing  conclusions.  There  are  no  long 
reasonings,  inductions,  special  interpretations.  In  this 
consist  the  particular  merit  and  providential  character 
of  Selva.  More  than  at  any  other  epoch  did  the  world 
and  the  clergy,  who  should  save  the  world,  stand  in 
need  of  Catholic  thought,  and  the  saint  gives  it  pure 
and  entire;  he  feared  to  weaken  it  by  mingling  his  own 
with  it.  .  .  ."2 

1  St.  Alphonsus  was  not  yet  a  bishop  when  he  published  this  work; 
he  was  appointed  to  this  office  two  years  later. 

2  We  read  in  a  treatise  entitled   L'INFALLIBILITE  ET  LE  CONCILE 
GENERAL,  ch.  8,  written  by  Cardinal  Dechamps,  a  note  that  is  to  the 
point.     After  having  called  St.  Alphonsus  "  the  most  faithful  and  the 
most  powerful  Echo  of  tradition  in  modern  times,"  the  eloquent  Car 
dinal  explains  that  our  author  was,  however,  not  a  simple  echo  in  his 
dogmatical,  in  his  moral. .or  in  his  ascetical  works,  on  which  he  passes 


8  Notice. 

This  is  the  language  of  Mgr.  Gaume,  and  we  must 
acknowledge  that  such  is  in  fact  the  power  of  this  book; 
but  this  power  is  equalled  by  the  unction  that  accom 
panies  it,  as  is  the  case  with  the  other  works  of  this 
author,  and  both  its  unction  and  its  power  are  supported 
by  the  example  of  his  life.  One  may  in  some  manner 
say  of  him  what  was  said  of  our  divine  Saviour:  Cxpit 
facere,  et  docere — "  He  began  to  do  and  to  teach  "  (Acts  ii.). 
The  following  are  the  rules  of  conduct  that  he  composed 
for  himself  at  the  time  he  entered  the  ecclesiastical  state, 
to  serve  for  his  guidance  as  a  candidate  for  the  priest 
hood: 

1.  The   cleric    should    frequent    the    society   of   holy 
priests,  to  be  edified  by  their  example. 

2.  He  should  spend  at  least  one  hour  daily  in  mental 
prayer,  that  he  may  live  in  fervor  and  recollection. 

3.  He  should  visit  the  Blessed  Sacrament  frequently, 
especially  during  the  time  of  exposition. 

4.  He  should  read  the  lives  of  holy  priests,  that  he 
may  imitate  their  virtues. 

5.  He  must  cultivate  a  special  devotion  to  the  Holy 

a  eulogy  which  he  concludes  as  follows:  "  Among  his  ascetical  works 
there  is  one  that  St.  Alphonsus  has  modestly  entitled  a  COLLECTION 
of  texts.  At  first  sight  one  might  believe  that  this  is  true;  but  if  one 
reads  the  book  attentively  one  sees  that  the  thought  of  the  author -is 
the  framework  of  the  whole,  and  that  the  strongest  and  the  sweetest 
that  tradition  contains  he  skilfully  adapts  to  the  service  of  his  pen. 
We  know  that  nothing  is  more  difficult  than  the  composing  of  such  a 
work,  in  which  the  texts  are  not  in  juxtaposition,  but  are  united  by  a 
living  thought  that  revivifies  them.  If  St.  Alphonsus  is  an  echo,  it  is 
after  the  fashion  of  St.  Bernard."  This  judgment  seems  to  us  to  be 
perfectly  just;  we  thence  conclude  that  our  venerated  author  is  an 
echo  that  thinks,  that  admirably  chooses  the  most  proper  sounds  to 
express  his  thought  with  an  irresistible  energy;  but  he  also  knows 
how  to  speak  in  another  manner  when  the  subject  demands  it,  as  one 
may  especially  see  in  his  Fourth  Instruction,  in  which  he  speaks  of 
preaching  and  the  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  Penance. 


Notice.  9 

Virgin,  the  Mother  and  Queen  of  the  clergy,  and  conse 
crate  himself  particularly  to  her  service. 

6.  For  the  honor  of  the  ecclesiastical  state  he  must  be 
most  careful  of  his  reputation. 

7.  He  should  flee  from  worldly  conversation,  and  not 
be  too  familiar  with  the  laity,  especially  women. 

8.  Seeing  God  in  his  Superiors,  he  must  obey  them, 
because  such  is  the  divine  will. 

9.  He   should    be    modest,    but    without    affectation, 
severity,  or  fastidiousness;  and  he  should  always  wear 
the  cassock  and  tonsure. 

10.  He  should  be  quiet  and  gentle  at  home,  exemplary 
in  class,  and  edifying  in  church,  especially  during  the 
public  offices. 

11.  He  should  confess  every  eight  days,  and  commu 
nicate  still  oftener. 

12.  He  should  live  free  from  sin,  and  practise  every 
virtue. 

The  young  Levite,  whose  virtue  and  talents  we  have 
admired  in  another  career,  edified  the  whole  city  of 
Naples  by  a  constantly  increasing  fervor  while  ascend 
ing  the  different  degrees  of  the  sanctuary.  At  the  end 
of  a  preparation  of  three  years  he  was  judged  worthy 
to  be  elevated  by  a  dispensation  to  the  dignity  of  the 
priesthood.  This  took  place  December  21,  1726.  He 
then  wrote  the  following  resolutions: 

1.  I   am   a   priest;   my  dignity   is   above   that   of    the 
angels.     I  should  then  lead  a  life  of  angelic  purity,  and 
I  am  obliged  to  strive  for  this  by  all  possible  means. 

2.  A  God  deigns  to  obey  my  voice.     I  should  with  far 
greater  reason  obey  his  speaking  to  me  through  his  in 
spirations  or  my  Superiors. 

3.  The  holy  Church  has  honored  me:   I  must  there 
fore  honor  myself  by  sanctity  of  life,  by  my  zeal  and 
labors,  etc. 

4.  I  offer  to  the  Eternal  Father  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son: 


io  Notice. 

it  is  then  my  duty  to  clothe  myself  with  the  virtues  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  I  may  become  fit  for  my  office. 
.  5.  Christian  people  see  in  me  a  minister  of  reconcilia 
tion,  a  mediator  between  God  and  man;  consequently  I 
must  always  keep  myself  in  the  grace  and  friendship  of 
God. 

6.  The  faithful  desire  to  see  in  me  a  model  of  the 
virtues  to  which   they  should  aspire;    I  must  then   be 
edifying  always  and  under  all  circumstances. 

7.  Poor  sinners  that  have  lost  the  light  of  grace  come 
to  me  to  be  spiritually  resuscitated:    I  must  therefore 
aid  them  by  my  prayers,  exhortations,  and  good  ex 
ample. 

8.  Courage  is  necessary  to  triumph  over  the  world, 
the  flesh,  and  the  devil;  I  must  then  correspond  with 
divine  grace  that  I  may  combat  these  virtues  victoriously. 

9.  To   defend  religion   and    fight    against    error    and 
impiety,  one  must  have  knowledge.     I  will  then  strive, 
by  every  means  within  my  reach,  to  acquire  the  neces 
sary  knowledge. 

10.  Human  respect  and  worldly  friendships  dishonor 
the  priesthood;  I  will  then  avoid  them. 

11.  Ambition    and     self-interest    have    often    caused 
priests    to    lose    their   faith;   I    must  then  abhor  these 
vices  as  sources  of  reprobation. 

12.  Gravity  should  accompany  charity  in  a  priest;  I 
will  then  be  prudent  and  reserved,  especially  with  re 
gard   to  women,  without   being   proud,  rough,  or  dis 
dainful. 

13.  I    can    please    God    only   by  recollection,  fervor, 
and   solid   virtue,  which   nourish   the    holy   exercise    of 
prayer;  I  will  then  neglect  nothing  which  may  tend  to 
their  acquisition. 

14.  I    should   seek   only  the  glory   of  God,   my  own 
sanctification,  and  the  salvation  of  souls;  consequently, 
I  must  achieve  these  ends  though  it  should  cost  my  life. 


Notice.  1 1 

15.  I  am  a  priest;  it  is  my  duty  to  inspire  virtue  in 
all  with  whom  I  come  in  contact,  and  to  glorify  Jesus 
Christ,  the  eternal  High-priest.1 

Such  was  the  aurora  of  this  star  that  was  to  pass 
through  so  grand  a  career,  and  raise  itself  to  so  high  a 
perfection.  Quasi  lux  splendens,  procedit,  et  crescit  usque 
ad perfectam  diem — "  As  a  shining  light  goeth  forwards  * 
and  increaseth  even  to  perfect  day"  (Prov.  iv.  18). 
Our  saint  is  already  recognized  as  one  of  the  purest 
lights  that  God  has  sent  to  illumine  the  world.  Quasi 
sol  refulgens,  sic  ille  effulsit  in  templo  Dei — "  As  the  sun 
when  it  shineth,  so  did  he  shine  in  the  temple  of  God" 
(Ecclus.  1.  7).  A  new  ray  has  been  added  to  his  glory: 
he  has  been  declared  a  Doctor  of  the  Church.  Let  us 
not  omit  to  profit  by  his  teachings  and  imitate  his  vir 
tues  in  order  that  we  may  one  day  share  in  his  eternal 
happiness. 

Live  Jesus,  Mary,  Joseph,  and  Alphonsus  ! 

t,  1.  i,  ch.  n. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

APPROBATION -4 

NOTICE,         . .        .5 

ADMONITIONS   NECESSARY  FOR  HIM  WHO  GIVES  THE  SPIRITUAL 
EXERCISES  TO  PRIESTS, .19 

PART    I. 

MATERIAL  FOR  SERMONS. 

CHAPTER  I.     THE  DIGNITY  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD      .        .        .     23 
I.  Idea  of  the  priestly  dignity,  23. 
II.   Importance  of  the  priestly  office,  24. 

III.  Grandeur  of  the  priestly  power,  26. 

IV.  The    dignity   of    the   priest   surpasses  all   other  created 

dignities,  29. 

V.   Elevation  of  the  post  occupied  by  the  priest,  33. 
VI.   Conclusion,  37. 

CHAPTER  II.    THE  END  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD,  .        .        .        .39 
I.  The  priesthood  appears  to  the  saints  a  formidable  charge, 

SO 
IL  What  is  the  end  of  the  priesthood,  41. 
III.  Principal  duties  of  the  priest,  43. 

CHAPTER  III.     THE  SANCTITY  NECESSARY  FOR  THE  PRIEST,    .     48 
I.  What  should  be  the  sanctity  of  the  priest  by  reason  of  his 

dignity,  48. 

II.  What  should  be  the  sanctity  of  the  priest  as  the  minister 
of  the  altar,  55. 

III.  What  should  be  the  sanctity  of  the  priest  as  mediator 

between  God  and  man,  59. 

IV.  What  should  be  the  sanctity  of  the  priest  given  to  the 

people  to  be  their  model,  62. 
V.   Practical  consequences,  64. 
CHAPTER  IV      GRIEVOUSNESS  AND  CHASTISEMENT  OF  SIN  IN  A 

PRIEST,          .......     70 

I.   Grievousness  of  sin  in  a  priest,  70. 
II.  Chastisement  of  the  sinful  priest,  75. 
III.   Exhortation,  82. 


1 4  Contents. 


PAGE 

CHAPTER  V.     THE  INJURY  THAT  TEPIDITY  DOES  TO  A  PRIEST,     88 

I.   To  what  the  tepid  priest  is  exposed,  88. 
II.   A  priest  cannot  be  satisfied  with  avoiding  grievous  sins, 

97- 
III.    Exhortation,  101. 

CHAPTER  VI.     THE  SIN  OF  INCONTINENCE,         .        .        .        .107 

I.   Necessity  of  purity  in  the  priest,  107. 
II.  Malice  of  impurity  in  the  priest,  109. 

III.  Sad  effects  of  impurity,  113. 

Blindness  of  the  soul,  113.     Obstinacy  of  the  will,  117. 
Eternal  damnation,  119. 

IV.  Remedies  for  incontinence,  120. 

CHAPTER  VII.     THE  SACRILEGIOUS  MASS,          .  '      .        .        .122 

I.   Purity  required  in  the  priest  to  celebrate  worthily,  122. 
II.   How  great  is  the  crime  of  the  priest  that  celebrates  Mass 

in  mortal  sin,  125. 

CHAPTER  VIII.     THE  SIN  OF  SCANDAL,      .        .  .        .138 

CHAPTER  IX.     THE  ZEAL  OF  THE  PRIEST,         .        .         .         .154 
I.   The  obligation  of  every  priest  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of 

souls,  154. 

II.   The  pleasure  that  a  priest  who  labors  for  the  salvation  of 
souls  gives  to  God,  166. 

III.  How  secure  the  priest  who  labors  for  the  salvation  of  souls 

renders  his  own  salvation,  and  how  great  the  reward 
that  he  shall  receive  in  heaven,  172. 

IV.  The  end,  the  means,  and  the  labors  of  the  priest  who  has 

zeal,  177. 

The   end  to  be   proposed,   177.       Means  to  be  em 
ployed,  178.     Works  of  a  zealous  priest,  180. 
CHAPTER  X.     THE  VOCATION  TO  THE  PRIESTHOOD,  .        .        .185 

I.   Necessity  of  a  divine  vocation  to  take  Holy  Orders,  185. 
II.   Marks  of  a  divine  vocation  to  the  sacerdotal  state,  189. 

i.  Purity  of  intention,  192.     2.  Science  and  talents,  193. 
3.  Positive  goodness  of  character,  194. 

III.  To  what  dangers  one  exposes  one's  self  by  taking  Holy 
Orders  without  a  vocation,  198. 


PART    II. 

MATERIAL  FOR  INSTRUCTIONS. 

INSTRUCTION  I.     THE  CELEBRATION  OF  MASS,   .        .        .        .208 
I.   Importance  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice  and  what  it  exacts  of 

the  priest,  208. 
II.   The  preparation  for  Mass,  213. 

III.  The  reverence  and  the  devotion  with  which  the  priest 

should  celebrate  Mass,  217. 

IV.  Thanksgiving  after  Mass,  226. 

V.  The  priest  who  abstains  from  saying  Mass.  228. 


Contents.  1 5 

PAGE 

INSTRUCTION  II.     THE  GOOD  EXAMPLE  THAT  THE  PRIEST  SHOULD 

GIVE,        .        ...        .        .        .        -230 

INSTRUCTION  III.     THE  CHASTITY  OF  THE  PRIEST,    .        .        .243 

I.  The  merit  of  this  virtue,  and  its  necessity  to  the  priest, 

240. 

II.  Means  of  preserving  chastity,  247. 

Flight  of  the  occasion,  248.    Mortification,  258.    Prayer, 
261. 
INSTRUCTION  IV.     PREACHING  AND  THE  ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE 

SACRAMENT  OF  PENANCE,  .        .        ,        .265 

I.  Preaching,  265. 

II.  Administration  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance,  271. 

Grave  responsibility  of  confessors,  271.  The  knowledge 
required  to  hear  confessions  well,  273.  Charity  and  firm 
ness  that  the  confessor  should  have,  274.  How  to  act  in 
regard  to  those  living  in  the  occasion  of  sin  and  those  who 
are  relapsing  sinners,  281. 
INSTRUCTION  V.  MENTAL  PRAYER 289 

I.  Necessity  of  mental  prayer 'for  priests,  289. 
II.  Answer  to  excuses,  293." 

III.   The  recitation  of  the  divine  Office,  302. 
INSTRUCTION  VI.     HUMILITY,       .......  305 

I.   Necessity  of  humility,  305. 

II.  The  practice  of  humility,  309. 

To  have  a  horror  of  pride,  309.     Not  to  glory  in  the 
good  that  we  do,  312.     We  must  distrust  ourselves,  315. 
'£o  accept  humiliations,  319. 
INSTRUCTION  VII.     MEEKNESS,     .......  322 

I.   We  must  repress  anger,  323. 
II.   We  must  bear  contempt,  330. 

INSTRUCTION  VIII.     MORTIFICATION,    AND    PARTICULARLY    IN 
TERIOR  MORTIFICATION,         .        .        .  337 
I.   Necessity  of  mortification  in  general,  337, 

II.  Necessity  of  interior  mortification,  341. 

III.  The  practice  of  interior  mortification,  345. 

Property,   345.     Honors,   351.     Relatives,   354.     Self- 
will,  357.     Means  of  conquering  self-will,  360. 
INSTRUCTION  IX.     EXTERIOR  MORTIFICATION,     ....   362 

I.   Necessity  of  exterior  mortification,  362. 
II.   Practice  of  exterior  mortification,  306. 

The  eyes  and  the  whole  exterior,  367.  The  taste  or 
appetite,  374.  The  touch,  377.  Involuntary  mortifica 
tions,  379. 

Ill    The  good  that  is  derived  from  a  mortified  life,  380. 
INSTRUCTION  X.     THE  LOVE  OF  GOD,         .....  384 
I.   Special  obligation  for  the  priest  to  belong  entirely  to  God, 

384- 

II.  Means  to  be  employed  for  belonging  entirely  to  God,  391. 

Desire  for  perfection,  391.     The  intention  of  pleasing 


1 6  Contents. 

PAGE 

God  in  all  things,  395.     Patience  in  pains  and  humilia 
tions,  399.     Conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  403. 
INSTRUCTION  XI.     DEVOTION  TO  MOST  HOLY  MARY,        .        .  409 
I.  Moral  necessity  of  the  intercession  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 

409. 
II.   Confidence  that  we  should  have  in  the  intercession  of  the 

Mother  of  God.  414. 
III.  Practice  of  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  421. 


APPENDIX. 

RULE  OF  LIFE  FOR  A  SECULAR  PRIEST, 427 

I.   Morning  exercises,  427. 

The  first  acts  on  rising,  427.     Mental  prayer,  428.     The 
holy  Mass,  428.     Confessions  and  study,  429.     Remark 
in  regard   to  the  order  of   the  exercises,  430.     Dinner, 
430. 
II.   Exercises  after  dinner,  431. 

Spiritual  reading,  431.     The  visit  to  the  Blessed  Sacra 
ment  and  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  432.     Recreation,  433. 

III.  Exercises  of  the  evening,  433. 

Before  supper,  433.     Supper,  433.     The  last  acts  before 
going  to  bed,  434. 

IV.  Exercises  that  are  not  performed  every  day,  434. 

Confession,  434.     The  monthly  retreat,  434.     Special 
counsels,  435. 
SPIRITUAL  RULES  FOR  A  PRIEST  WHO  ASPIRES  TO  PERFECTION,  436 

To  avoid  sin,  and  trouble  after  sin,  436.     Efficacious  desire 
to  advance  in  the  love  of  God,  437.     Devotion  to  the  Passion 
of  our  Lord  and  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  438.     The  intention 
of  doing  all  for  God,  439.     Love  of  solitude  and  of  silence, 
439.     Conformity  to  the  will  of  God,  441.     Desire  for  death, 
442.     Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  442.     To  be  humble  of 
heart,  443.     To  render  good  for  evil,  444.      Interior  and  exterior 
mortification,  444.     To  pray  without  ceasing,  445. 
SPIRITUAL  MAXIMS  FOR  A  PRIEST,       ......  446 

EXHORTATION  TO   YOUNG  MEN  WHO  DEVOTE  THEMSELVES  TO 
THE  STUDY  OF  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SCIENCES,    .        .         ,  449 

They  should,  above  all,  endeavor  to  make  progress  in  the 
science  of  the  saints,  449. 

DISCOURSE  ON  THE  NECESSITY  OF  MENTAL  PRAYER  FOR  PRIESTS,  454 
I.  Without  mental  prayer  it  is  difficult  for  a  priest  to  save 

his  soul,  455. 
II.  Without  mental  prayer  it  is  impossible  for  the  priest  to 

attain  perfection,  462. 
INDEX, 463 


cm&  Antics  of  tl)e  priest; 

OR  SELVA, 

A  COLLECTION  OF  MATERIAL  FOR  SERMONS  AND  INSTRUCTIONS, 
FOR  ECCLESIASTICAL  RETREATS, 

AND  ALSO  FOR  PRIVATE  SPIRITUAL  READING. 


DIGNITY  AND   DUTIES   OF    THE   PRIEST. 


Qt&moniticrns  Nmssars  for  l)int  rolio  Qit^s  tlje  Spiritual 

ta  priests. 


THE  present  little  work  is  entitled  "  A  Collection  of 
Materials,"  1  and  not  Discourses  or  Spiritual  Exercises, 
because  although  I  have  endeavored  to  collect  the 
material  belonging  to  each  subject,  I  have  not  observed 
the  order  necessary  for  a  regular  discourse,  nor  have  I 
extended  the  thoughts.  They  are  given  without  order, 
and  expressed  briefly,  that  the  reader  may  select  the 
authorities,  subjects,  and  thoughts  that  are  most  pleas 
ing  to  him,  and  may  afterwards  arrange  and  extend 
them  as  he  pleases,  and  thus  make  the  discourse  his 
own.  For  experience  shows,  that  a  preacher  will  scarce 
ly  deliver  sentiments  with  fervor  and  zeal  unless  he  has 
first  made  them  his  own,  at  least  by  selecting  them  from 
among  others,  and  arranging  and  extending  them,  in 
composing  the  discourse.  Hence,  I  have  taken  from 
different  authors  several  passages  that  have  the  same 
signification,  so  that  the  preacher  may  select  those  that 
please  him  most. 

I  have  said  so  much  to  explain  the  aim  of  the  work. 
Let  him  who  gives  the  spiritual  exercises  to  priests  be 
careful,  first  of  all,  to  propose  to  himself  a  good  end  in 
his  instructions: 

I.  This  end  must  be  not  to  gain  the  character  of  a 
man  of  learning,  of  talent,  and  of  eloquence,  but  only 
to  give  glory  to  God  by  the  sanctification  of  his  hearers. 
1  Selva*  .  .  .  See  Notice,  page  5. 


2o  Admonitions. 

II.  Let  him  be  careful  not  to  seek  to  introduce  into 
his  sermons  ideas  foreign  to  the  subject,  nor  new  and 
lofty  thoughts  that  serve  only  to  fix  the  mind  on  the 
beauty  of  the  conceptions,  but  leave  the  will  dry  and 
without  fruit;    let  him  be  careful  to  say  what  he  con 
siders  best  calculated  to  move  his  hearers  to  make  some 
good  resolution. 

III.  In  order  to  attain  that  end,  let  him  in  his  sermons 
frequently  remind  the  hearers  of  the  truths  of  eternity, 
by  the  consideration  of  which  perseverance  is  obtained, 
according  to  the  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  In  all  thy 
works  remember  thy  last  end,  and  thou  shalt  never  sin.1     It  is 
true,  indeed,  that  certain  priests  dislike  sermons  on  the 
last  things,  and  are  offended  at  seeing  themselves  treated 
like  seculars,  as  if  they  were  not,  as  well  as  seculars,  to 
die  and  be  judged.     Let  him,  then,  who  gives  the  spiri 
tual  exercises  not  omit  at   least  to  remind  the  audience 
several   times   of   death,  of   judgment,  and   of   eternity. 
These  are  the  truths  best  calculated  to  effect  a  change 
of  life  in  all  that  meditate  upon  them. 

IV.  Let  the  preacher  be  careful  to  inculcate  as  much 
as  possible  what  is  practical.     For  example,  the  method 
of  making  mental  prayer,  thanksgiving  after  Mass,  the 
correction  of  sinners,  and  above  all  the  mode  of  hearing 
confessions,  particularly  the  confessions  of  relapsing  sin 
ners,  or  of  those  that  are  in  the  proximate  occasion  of 
sin.     In  hearing  the  confessions  of  these  two  classes  of 
penitents,  many  confessors  err,  either  by  an   excess  of 
rigor,  or  by    too   great   a  facility  of  giving  absolution 
(the   latter    is   more   frequent),  and    thus    they   are   the 
cause  of  the  damnation  of  so  many  souls.     Latin  pas 
sages  are  soon  forgotten;  only  what  is  practical  remains 
in  the  mind. 

V.  Let  the  preacher  be  careful  to  treat  with  respect 

1  "  Memorare  novissima  tua,  et  in  aeternum  non  peccabis." — Ecclus. 
vii.  40. 


Admonitions.  21 

and  sweetness  the  priests  who  listen  to  him.  With 
respect ;  showing  a  veneration  for  them,  often  calling 
them  men  of  learning  and  of  sanctity,  and  when  he 
inveighs  against  any  vice,  let  him  always  speak  in  gen 
eral  terms,  protesting  that  he  speaks  not  of  those  that 
are  present.  Let  him  guard,  in  a  special  manner,  against 
censuring  any  defect  of  any  particular  person,  as  also 
against  speaking  in  a  tone  of  authority;  but  let  him 
endeavor  to  preach  in  a  familiar  style,  which  is  the  best 
calculated  to  persuade  and  move.  With  respect  and 
with  sweetness;  let  him,  then,  never  appear  angry,  nor 
ever  break  out  into  injurious  words,  which  tend  more  to 
irritate  the  mind  than  to  excite  piety. 

VI.  In  sermons  that  are  apt  to  strike  terror,  let  him 
not    induce   his   hearers   to   despair  of    salvation   or  of 
amendment.      Let    him    always    leave  to    all,    however 
abandoned,  a  means  by  which  they  may  hope  to  change 
their  lives;  animating  them  to  confidence  in  the  merits 
of  Jesus   Christ,  and   in  the  intercession  of   the  divine 
Mother,  and   to   have  recourse  by  prayer  to  these  two 
great  anchors  of  hope.     Let  the  preacher,  in  almost  all 
his   sermons,  frequently   and   strongly   recommend   the 
exercise  of  prayer,  that  is,  the  prayer  of  petition,  which 
is  the  only  means  of  obtaining  the  graces  necessary  for 
salvation. 

VII.  Finally,  above  all,  let  the  preacher  be  careful  to 
expect  the  fruit  not  from  his  own  labors,  but  from   the 
divine  mercy,  and  from   his  prayers,  begging  of  God  to 
give  strength   to  his  words.     For  wre   know  that,  ordi 
narily,  sermons   produce   scarcely   any   fruit    in   priests, 
and    to   induce,  in   the    spiritual   exercises,  a   priest    to 
change  his  life  if  he  is  a  sinner,  or  to  become  fervent  if 
he  is  tepid,  is  almost  a  miracle,  which   seldom   occurs. 
Hence,  the  conversion  of  priests  must  be   the  fruit  of 
prayer  more  than  of  study. 


PART  I. 

MATERIAL  FOR  SERMONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    DIGNITY    OF    THE    PRIESTHOOD. 
I. 

Idea  of  the  Priestly  Dignity. 

IN  his  epistle  to  the  Christians  of  Smyrna,  St.  Ignatius, 
Martyr,  says  that  the  priesthood  is  the  most  sublime  of 
all  created  dignities:  "The  apex  of  dignities  is  the 
priesthood."1  St.  Ephrem  calls  it  an  infinite  dignity: 
''The  priesthood  is  an  astounding  miracle,  great,  im 
mense,  and  infinite."1  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  that 
though  its  functions  are  performed  on  earth,  the  priest 
hood  should  be  numbered  among  the  things  of  heaven.3 
According  to  Cassian,  the  priest  of  God  is  exalted  above 
all  earthly  sovereignties,  and  above  all  celestial  heights 
— he  is  inferior  only  to  God.4  Innocent  III.  says  that  the 

1  "Omnium  apex  est  Sacerdotium." — Epist.  ad  Sniyrn. 

2  "  Miraculum   est   stupendum,  magna,  immensa,   infinita   Sacerdoti 
dignitas." — De  Sacerdotio, 

3  "  Sacerdotium  in  terris  peragitur   sed  in  rerum  coelestium  ordinem 
referendum  est." — De  Saccrd.  1.  3. 

4  "O  SaceVdos  Dei  !  si  altitudinem  coeli  contemplaris,  altior  es;  si 
omnium  dominorum  sublimitatem,  sublimior  es;  solo  tuo  Creatore  in 
ferior  es." — Cat al,  gloria  mundi,  p.  4,  cons.  6. 


24  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

priest  is  placed  between  God  and  man;  inferior  to  God, 
but  superior  to  man.1 

.St.  Denis  calls  the  priest  a  divine  man.2  Hence  he 
has  called  the  priesthood  a  divine  dignity.3  In  fine,  St. 
Ephrem  says  that  the  gift  of  the  sacerdotal  dignity  sur 
passes  all  understanding.4  For  us  it  is  enough  to  know, 
that  Jesus  Christ  has  said  that  we  should  treat  his 
priests  as  we  would  his  own  person:  He  that  heareth you, 
heareth  me;  he  that  despiseth  you,  despiseth  me?  Hence  St. 
John  Chrysostom  says,  that  "  he  who  honors  a  priest, 
honors  Christ,  and  he  who  insults  a  priest,  insults 
Christ.'"  Through  respect  for  the  sacerdotal  dignity, 
St.  Mary  of  Oignies  used  to  kiss  the  ground  on  which  a 
priest  had  walked. 

II. 
Importance  of  the  Priestly  Office. 

The  dignity  of  the  priest  is  estimated  from  the  exalted 
nature  of  his  offices.  Priests  are  chosen  by  God  to 
manage  on  earth  all  his  concerns  and  interests.  "  Di 
vine,"  says  St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  "are  the  offices  con 
fided  to  priests."7  St.  Ambrose  has  called  the  priestly 
office  a  divine  profession.8  A  priest  is  a  minister  des 
tined  by  God  to  be  a  public  ambassador  of  the  whole 
Church,  to  honor  him,  and  to  obtain  his  graces  for  all 

1  "  Inter  Deum  et  hominem   medius  constitutes;    minor  Deo,    sed 
major  homine." — In  Consccr.  Pont.  s.  2. 

2  "  Qui  Sacerdotem  dixit,  prorsus  divinum  insinuat  virum." — DC  EccL 
Hier.  c.  i. 

3  "Angelica,  imo  divina  est  dignitas." — Ibid. 

4  "  Excedit  omnem  cogitationem  donum  dignitatis  sacerdotalis." — De 
Saccrd. 

5  "  Qui  vos  audit,  me  audit;  et  qui  vos  spernit,  me  spernit." — Luke, 
x.  16. 

6  "Qui  honorat  Sacerdotem  Christi,  honorat  Christum;  et  qui  injuriat 
Sacerdotem  Christi,  injuriat  Christum." — Hom.  17. 

1  "Genus  divinis  ministeriis  mancipatum." — DC  Adorat.  1.  13. 
8  "  Deifica  professio." — De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  3. 


CHAP.  1.1      The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  25 

the  faithful.  The  entire  Church  cannot  give  to  God 
as  much  honor,  nor  obtain  so  many  graces,  as  a  single 
priest  by  celebrating  a  single  Mass;  for  the  greatest 
honor  that  the  whole  Church  without  priests  could  give 
to  God  would  consist  in  offering  to  him  in  sacrifice  the 
lives  of  all  men.  But  of  what  value  are  the  lives  of  all 
men  compared  with  the  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ,  which 
is  a  sacrifice  of  infinite  value?  What  are  all  men  before 
God  but  a  little  dust  ?  As  a  drop  of  a  bucket,  ...  .  as  a 
little  dust.1  They  are  but  a  mere  nothing  in  his  sight: 
All  nations  are  before  him  as  if  they  had  no  being  at  all. 
Thus,  by  the  celebration  of  a  single  Mass,  in  which  he 
offers  Jesus  Christ  in  sacrifice,  a  priest  gives  greater 
honor  to  the  Lord,  than  if  all  men  by  dying  for  God 
offered  to  him  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives.  By  a  single 
Mass,  he  gives  greater  honor  to  God  than  all  the  angels 
and  saints,  along  with  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  have 
given  or  shall  give  to  him;  for  their  worship  cannot  be 
of  infinite  value,  like  that  which  the  priest  celebrating  on 
the  altar  offers  to  God. 

Moreover,  in  the  holy  Mass,  the  priest  offers  to  God 
an  adequate  thanksgiving  for  all  the  graces  bestowed 
even  on  the  Blessed  in  Paradise;  but  such  a  thanks 
giving  all  the  saints  together  are  incapable  of  offering 
to  him.  Hence  it  is,  that  on  this  account  also  the 
priestly  dignity  is  superior  even  to  all  celestial  dignities. 
Besides,  the  priest,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  is  an  am 
bassador  of  the  whole  world,  to  intercede  with  God  and 
to  obtain  graces  for  all  creatures.2  The  priest,  accord 
ing  to  St.  Ephrem,  "  treats  familiarly  with  God."3  To 
priests  every  door  is  open. 

1  "Quasi   stilla   situlae,    .   .   .    pulvis   exiguus.    .   .   .    Omnes   gentes, 
quasi  non  sint,  sic  sunt  coram  eo." — Isa.  xl.  15,  17. 

2  "  Pro  universo  terrarum  orbe  legatus  intercedit  apud  Deum." — De 
Sacerd.  \.  6. 

3  "Cum  Deo  familiariter  agit." — De  Saccrdotio. 


26  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

Jesus  has  died  to  institute  the  priesthood.  It  was  not 
necessary  for  the  Redeemer  to  die  in  order  to  save  the 
world;  a  drop  of  his  blood,  a  single  tear,  or  prayer,  was 
sufficient  to  procure  salvation  for  all;  for  such  a  prayer, 
being  of  infinite  value,  should  be  sufficient  to  save  not 
one  but  a  thousand  worlds.  But  to  institute  the  priest 
hood,  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  has  been  necessary. 
Had  he  not  died,  where  should  we  find  the  victim  that 
the  priests  of  the  New  Law  now  offer?  a  victim  alto 
gether  holy  and  immaculate,  capable  of  giving  to  God 
an  honor  worthy  of  God.  As  has  been  already  said,  all 
the  lives  of  men  and  angels  are  not  capable  of  giving  to 
God  an  infinite  honor  like  that  which  a  priest  offers  to 
him  by  a  single  Mass. 

III. 

Grandeur  of  the  Priestly  Power. 

The  dignity  of  the  priest  is  also  estimated  from  the 
power  that  he  has  over  the  real  and  the  mystic  body  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

With  regard  to  the  power  of  priests  over  the  real  body 
of  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  of  faith  that  when  they  pronounce 
the  words  of  consecration  the  Incarnate  Word  has 
obliged  himself  to  obey  and  to  come  into  their  hands 
under  the  sacramental  species.  We  are  struck  with 
wonder  when  we  hear  that  God  obeyed  the  voice  of 
Josue — The  Lord  obeying  the  voice  of  man1 — and  made 
the  sun  stand  when  he  said  move  not,  O  su/i,  towards 
Gabaon,  .  .  .  and  the  sun  stood  still?  But  our  wonder 
should  be  far  greater  when  we  find  that  in  obedience  to 
the  words  of  his  priests — Hoc  EST  CORPUS  MEUM — God 
himself  descends  on  the  altar,  that  he  comes  wherever 
they  call  him,  and  as  often  as  they  call  him,  and  places 

1  "  Obediente  Domino  voci  hominis." — Jos.  x.  14. 

2  "  Sol,  contra  Gabaon  ne  movearis.   .   .   .   Stetit  itaque  sol  in  medio 
coeli." — Ibid.  x.  12. 


CHAP,  i.]       The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  2  7 

himself  in  their  hands,  even  though  they  should  be  his 
enemies.  And  after  having  come,  he  remains,  entirely 
at  their  disposal;  they  move  him  as  they  please,  from 
one  place  to  another;  they  may,  if  they  wish,  shut  him 
up  in  the  tabernacle,  or  expose  him  on  the  altar,  or 
carry  him  outside  the  church;  they  may,  if  they  choose, 
eat  his  flesh,  and  give  him  for  the  food  of  others.  "  Oh, 
how  very  great  is  their  power,"  says  St.  Laurence  Jus 
tinian,  speaking  of  priests.  "  A  word  falls  from  their  lips 
and  the  body  of  Christ  is  there  substantially  formed 
from  the  matter  of  bread,  and  the  Incarnate  Word  de 
scended  from  heaven,  is  found  really  present  on  the 
table  of  the  altar  !  Never  did  divine  goodness  give  such 
power  to  the  angels.  The  angels  abide  by  the  order  of 
God,  but  the  priests  take  him  in  their  hands,  distribute 
him  to  the  faithful,  and  partake  of  him  as  food  for 
themselves."  ] 

With  regard  to  the  mystic  body  of  Christ,  that  is,  all 
the  faithful,  the  priest  has  the  power  of  the  keys,  or  the 
power  of  delivering  sinners  from  hell,  of  making  them 
worthy  of  paradise,  and  of  changing  them  from  the 
slaves  of  Satan  into  the  children  of  God.  And  God 
himself  is  obliged  to  abide  by  the  judgment  of  his 
priests,  and  either  not  to  pardon  or  to  pardon,  according 
as  they  refuse  or  give  absolution,  provided  the  penitent 
is  capable  of  it.  "  Such  is,"  says  St.  Maximus  of  Turin, 
"  this  judiciary  power  ascribed  to  Peter  that  its  de 
cision  carries  with  it  the  decision  of  God."2  The  sen 
tence  of  the  priest  precedes,  and  God  subscribes  to  it, 

'•  "  Maxima  illis  est  collata  potestas!  Ad  eorum  pene  libitum,  cor 
pus  Christi  de  panis  transsubstantiatur  materia;  descendit  de  coelo  in 
carne  Verbum,  et  altaris  verissime  reperitur  inmensa!  Hoc  illis  prse- 
rogatur  ex  gratia,  quod  nusquam  datum  est  Angelis.  Hi  assistunt 
Deo;  illi  contrectant  manibus,  tribuunt  populis,  et  in  se  suscipiunt." — 
Serm.  de  Euchar. 

8  "  Tanta  ei  (Petro)  potestas  attributa  est  judicandi,  ut  in  arbitrio 
ejus  poneretur  cceleste  judicium." — In  Nat.  B.  Petri,  horn.  3. 


28  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

writes  St.  Peter  Damian.1  Hence  St.  John  Chrysostom 
thus  concludes:  "  The  Sovereign  Master  of  the  universe 
only  follows  the  servant  by  confirming  in  heaven  all  that 
the  latter  decides  upon  earth. " 3 

Priests  are  the  dispensers  of  the  divine  graces  and  the 
companions  of  God.  "  Consider  the  priests,"  says  St. 
Ignatius,  Martyr,  "  as  the  dispensers  of  divine  graces  and 
the  associates  of  God."  :  "  They  are,"  says  St.  Prosper, 
"  the  glory  and  the  immovable  columns  of  the  Church; 
thay  are  the  doors  of  the  eternal  city;  through  them  all 
reach  Christ;  they  are  the  vigilant  guardians  to  whom 
the  Lord  has  confided  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;  they  are  the  stewards  of  the  king's  house,  to 
assign  to  each  according  to  his  good  pleasure  his  place 
in  the  hierarchy." 

Were  the  Redeemer  to  descend  into  a  church,  and  sit 
in  a  confessional  to  administer  the  sacrament  of  pen 
ance,  and  a  priest  to  sit  in  another  confessional,  Jes'us 
would  say  over  each  penitent,  "  Ego  te  absolve,"  the 
priest  would  likewise  say  over  each  of  his  penitents, 
"  Ego  te  absolve,"  and  the  penitents  of  each  would  be 
equally  absolved.  How  great  the  honor  that  a  king 
would  confer  on  a  subject  whom  he  should  empower  to 
rescue  from  prison  as  many  as  he  pleased  !  But  far 
greater  is  the  power  that  the  eternal  Father  has  given 
to  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  has  given  to  his 
priests,  to  rescue  from  hell  not  only  the  bodies  but  also 

1  "  Praecedit  Petri  sententia  sententiam  Redemptoris." — Serm.  26. 

2  "  Dominus  sequitur  servum;  et  quidquid  hie   in   inferioribus  judi- 
caverit,  hoc  ille  in  supernis  comprobat." — De  Verbis  Is.  horn.  5. 

"  In  domo   Dei,    divinorum  bonorum  ceconomos,  sociosque  Dei, 
Sacerdotes  respicite." — Ep.  ad  Polyc. 

4  "  Ipsi  sunt  Ecclesiae  decus,  columnse  firmissimae;  ipsi  januae  Civi- 
tatis  aeternae,  per  quos  omnes  ingrediuntur  ad  Christum;  ipsi  janitores, 
quibus  claves  datse  sunt  regni  coelorum;  ipsidispensatoresregise  domus, 
quorum  arbitrio  dividuntur  gradus  singulorum. " — DC  Vita  cont.  1.  2, 

C.   2. 


CHAP,  i.]       The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  29 

the  souls  of  the  faithful:  "  The  Son,"  says  St.  John  Chrys- 
ostom,  "has  put  into  the  hands  of  the  priests  all  judg 
ment;  for  having  been  as  it  were  transported  into 
heaven,  they  have  received  this  divine  prerogative.  If 
a  king  gave  to  a  mortal  the  power  to  release  from 
prison  all  prisoners,  all  would  pronounce  such  a  one 
happy;  but  priests  have  received  from  God  a  far  greater 
power,  since  the  soul  is  more  noble  than  the  body." ' 

IV. 

The   Dignity  of  the  Priest   Surpasses  all  other  Created 
Dignities. 

Thus  the  sacerdotal  dignity  is  the  most  noble  of  all 
the  dignities  in  this  world.  "  Nothing,"  says  St.  Am 
brose,  "is  more  excellent  in  this  world."2  It  transcends, 
says  St.  Bernard,  "all  the  dignities  of  kings,  of  em 
perors,  and  of  angels."  :  According  to  St.  Ambrose,  the 
dignity  of  the  priest  as  far  exceeds  that  of  kings,  as  the 
value  of  gold  surpasses  that  of  lead.4  The  reason  is, 
because  the  power  of  kings  extends  only  to  temporal 
goods  and  to  the  bodies  of  men,  but  the  power  of  the 
priest  extends  to  spiritual  goods  and  to  the  human  soul. 
Hence,  says  St.  Clement,  "  as  much  as  the  soul  is  more 
noble  than  the  body,  so  much  is  the  priesthood  more 
excellent  than  royalty." 5  "  Princes,"  says  St.  John 

1  "  Omne   judicium   a   Filio   illis   traditum Nam,    quasi    in 

coelum  translati,  ad  principatum  istum  perducti  sunt.     Si  cui  rex  hunc 
honorem  detulerit,  ut  potestatem  habeat  quoscunque  in  carcerem  con- 
jectos  laxandi,    beatus  ille  judicio  omnium  fuerit;  at  vero  qui  tanto 
majorem   a   Deo   accepit  potestatem,  quanto    animae   corporibus   prae- 
stant." — De  Sacerd.  \.  3. 

2  "  Nihil  in  hoc  saeculo  excellentius." — DC  Dignit.  sac.  c.  3. 

3  "  Prsetulit   vos,    Sacerdotes,    regibus    et    imperatoribus;    prsetulit 
Angelis." — Serm.  ad  Pastor,  in  syn. 

4  ' '  Longe  erit  inferius,  quam  si  plumbum   ad   auri   fulgorem   com 
pares." — De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  2. 

5  ' '  Quanto   anima   corpore  praestantior   est,  tanto    est   Sacerdotium 
regno  excellentius." — Constit.  apost.  1.  2,  c.  34. 


30  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

Chrysostom,  "have  the  power  of  binding,  but  they  bind 
only  the  bodies,  while  the  priest  binds  the  souls."  ] 

The  kings  of  the  earth  glory  in  honoring  priests:  "  It 
is  a  mark  of  a  good  prince,"  says  Pope  St.  Marcellinus, 
"  to  honor  the  priests  of  God."  a  "  They  willingly,"  says 
Peter  de  Blois,  "  bend  their  knee  before  the  priest  of 
God;  they  kiss  his  hands,  and  with  bowed  down  head 
receive  his  benediction."5  "The  sacerdotal  dignity," 
says  St.  Chrysostom,  "effaces  the  royal  dignity;  hence 
the  king  inclines  his  head  under  the  hand  of  the  priest 
to  receive  his  blessing."4  Baronius  relates  that  when 
the  Empress  Eusebia  sent  for  Leontius,  Bishop  of  Trip 
oli,  he  said  that  if  she  wished  to  see  him,  she  should 
consent  to  two  conditions:  first,  that  on  his  arrival  she 
should  instantly  descend  from  the  throne,  and  bowing 
down  her  head,  should  ask  his  benediction;  secondly, 
that  he  should  be  seated  on  the  throne,  and  that  she 
should  not  sit  upon  it  without  his  permission:  he  added, 
that  unless  she  submitted  to  these  conditions  he  should 
never  go  to  the  palace.  Being  invited  to  the  table  of 
the  Emperor  Maximus,  St.  Martin,  in  taking  a  draught, 
first  paid  a  mark  of  respect  to  his  chaplain,  and  then  to 
the  emperor.  In  the  Council  of  Nice,  the  Emperor 
Constantine  wished  to  sit  in  the  last  place,  after  all  the 
priests,  and  on  a  seat  lower  than  that  which  they  occu 
pied;  he  would  not  even  sit  down  without  their  per 
mission.  The  holy  king  St.  Boleslans  had  so  great  a 
veneration  for  priests,  that  he  would  not  dare  to  sit  in 
their  presence. 

1  "  Habent    principes  vinculi    potestatem,  verum    corporum    solum; 
Sacerdotes  vinculum  etiam  animarum  contingit." — De  Sacerd.  1.  3. 

2  "  Boni  principis  est  Dei  Sacerdotes  honorare." — Cap.  Boni princ. 
dist.  96. 

3  "  Reges  flexis  genibus  offerunt  ei  munera,  et  deosculantur  manum, 
ut  ex  ejus  contactu  sanctificentur." — Scrm.  47. 

4  "  Major  est  hie  principatus  quam  regis;  propterea  rex  caput  sub- 
mittit  manui  Sacerdotis." — DC  Verbis  Is.  horn.  4. 


The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  3 1 

The  sacerdotal  dignity  also  surpasses  the  dignity  of  the 
angels,  who  likewise  show  their  veneration  for  the  priest 
hood,  says  St.  Gregory  Nazianzen.1  All  the  angels  in 
heaven  cannot  absolve  from  a  single  sin.  The  angels 
guardian  procure  for  the  souls  committed  to  their  care 
grace  to  have  recourse  to  a  priest  that  he  may  absolve 
them  :  "  Although,"  says  St.  Peter  Damian,  "  angels  may 
be  present,  they  yet  wait  for  the  priest  to  exercise  his 
power,  but  no  one  of  them  has  the  power  of  the  keys — 
of  binding  and  of  loosening."2  When  St.  Michael  comes 
to  a  dying  Christian  who  invokes  his  aid,  the  holy  arch 
angel  can  chase  away  the  devils,  but  he  cannot  free  his 
client  from  their  chains  till  a  priest  comes  to  absolve 
him.  After  having  given  the  order  of  priesthood  to  a 
holy  ecclesiastic,  St.  Francis  de  Sales  perceived,  that  in 
going  out  he  stopped  at  the  door  as  if  to  give  prece 
dence  to  another.  Being  asked  by  the  saint  why  he 
stopped,  he  answered  that  God  favored  him  with  the 
visible  presence  of  his  angel  guardian, who  before  he  had 
received  priesthood  always  remained  at  his  right  and 
preceded  him,  but  afterwards  walked  on  his  left  and  re 
fused  to  go  before  him.  It  was  in  a  holy  contest  with 
the  angel  that  he  stopped  at  the  door.  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi  used  to  say,  "  If  I  saw  an  angel  and  a  priest,  1 
would  bend  my  knee  first  to  the  priest  and  then  to  the 
angel." 

Besides,  the  power  of  the  priest  surpasses  that  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  Mary;  for,  although  this  divine  Mother 
can  pray  for  us,  and  by  her  prayers  obtain  whatever 
she  wishes,  yet  she  cannot  absolve  a  Christian  from  even 
the  smallest  sin.  "  The  Blessed  Virgin  was  eminently 

1  *'  Sacerdotium  ipsi  quoque  Angeli  venerantur." — Orat.  ad  Naz.  tint. 
perc. 

2  "  Licet  assistant  Angeli,  praesidentis  (Sacerdotis)  imperium  exspec- 
tantes,  nullus  tamen  eorum  ligandi  atque  solvendi  possidet  potestatem." 
— Serm.  2.6. 


32  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

more  perfect  than  the  apostles,"  says  Innocent  III.;  "  it 
was,  however,  not  to  her,  but  only  to  the  apostles,  that 
the  Lord  intrusted  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  ' 
St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna  has  written:  "  Holy  Virgin, 
excuse  me,  for  I  speak  not  against  thee:  the  Lord  has 
raised  the  priesthood  above  thee."5  The  saint  assigns 
the  reason  of  the  superiority  of  the  priesthood  over 
Mary;  she  conceived  Jesus  Christ  only  once;  but  by 
consecrating  the  Eucharist,  the  priest,  as  it  were,  con 
ceives  him  as  often  as  he  wishes,  so  that  if  the  person  of 
the  Redeemer  had  not  as  yet  been  in  the  world,  the 
priest,  by  pronouncing  the  words  of  consecration,  would 
produce  this  great  person  of  a  Man-God.  "  O  wonder 
ful  dignity  of  the  priests,"  cries  out  St.  Augustine;  "  in 
their  hands,  as  in  the  womb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the 
Son  of  God  becomes-  incarnate. ":  Hence  priests  are 
called  the  parents  of  Jesus  Christ:4  such  is  the  title  that 
St.  Bernard  gives  them,  for  they  are  the  active  cause  by 
which  he  is  made  to  exist  really  in  the  consecrated 
Host. 

Thus  the  priest  may,  in  a  certain  manner,  be  called 
the  creator  of  his  Creator,  since  by  saying  the  words  of 
consecration,  he  creates,  as  it  were,  Jesus  in  the  sacra 
ment,  by  giving  him  a  sacramental  existence,  and  pro 
duces  him  as  a  victim  to  be  offered  to  the  eternal  Father. 
As  in  creating  the  world  it  was  sufficient  for  God  to 
have  said,  Let  it  be  made,  and  it  was  created — He  spoke, 

J  "  Licet  Beatissima  Virgo  excellentior  fuerit  Apostolis,  non  tamen 
illi,  sed  istis  Dominus  claves  regni  coelorum  commisit." — Cap.  Nova 
quccdam.  DC  Pccnit. 

*  "Virgo  benedicta,  excusa  me,  quia  non  loquor  contra  te:  Sacer- 
dotium  ipse  praetulit  supra  te." — T.  i,  s.  20,  a.  2,  c.  7. 

3  "  O  veneranda  Sacerdotum  dignitas,  in  quorum  manibus,  veldt  in 
utero  Virginis,  Filius  Dei  incarnatur." — Molina.  Instr.  Sacerd.  tr.  i,c. 
5,  §2. 

4  "  Parentes  Christi." — S.  ad  Past,  in  syn. 


CHAP,  i.]       The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  33 

and  they  were  made? — so  it  is  sufficient  for  the  priest  to 
say,  "  Hoc  est  corpus  meum,"  and  behold  the  bread  is 
no  longer  bread,  but  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  The 
power  of  the  priest,"  says  St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna,  "  is 
the  power  of  the  divine  person;  for  the  transubstan- 
tiation  of  the  bread  requires  as  much  power  as  the 
creation  of  the  world."2  And  St.  Augustine  has  writ 
ten,  "  O  venerable  sanctity  of  the  hands!  O  happy  func 
tion  of  the  priest  !  He  that  created  (if  I  may  say  so) 
gave  me  the  power  to  create  him;  and  he  that  created 
me  without  me  is  himself  created  by  me!" !  As  the 
Word  of  God  created  heaven  and  earth,  so,  says  St. 
Jerome,  the  words  of  the  priest  create  Jesus  Christ. 
"  At  a  sign  from  God  there  came  forth  from  nothing 
both  the  sublime  vault  of  the  heavens  and  the  vast  ex 
tent  of  the  earth;  but  not  less  great  is  the  power  that 
manifests  itself  in  the  mysterious  words  of  the  priest."  * 
The  dignity  of  the  priest  is  so  great,  that  he  even  blesses 
Jesus  Christ  on  the  altar  as  a  victim  to  be  offered  to  the 
eternal  Father.  In  the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  writes 
Father  Mansi,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  principal  offerer  and 
victim;  as  minister,  he  blesses  the  priest,  but  as  victim, 
the  priest  blesses  him. 

V. 

Elevation  of  the  Post  Occupied  by  the  Priest. 
The  greatness  of  the  dignity  of  a  priest   is  also  esti 
mated    from    the    high    place    that    he    occupies.      The 

1  "  Ipse  dixit,  et  facta  sunt." — Ps.  xxxii.  9. 

2  "  Potestas  Sacerdotis  est    sicut   potestas    Personarum    divinarum; 
quia,  in  panis   transsubstantiatione,  tanta  requiritur  virtus,  quanta  in 
mundi  creatione." — Loco  cit. 

3  "  O  venerabilis    sanctitudo    manuum!    o    felix    exercitium!      Qui 
creavit  me  (si  fas  est  dicere)'dedit  mihi  create  se;  et  qui  creavit  me  sine 
me  ipse  creavit  se  mediante  me!" 

4  "  Ad  nutum  Domini,  ex  nihilo  substiterunt  excelsa  ccelorum,  vasta 
terrarum;  ita  parem  potentiam  in  spiritualibus  Sacerdotis  verbis  praebet 
virtus." — Horn,  de  Corpore  Chr. 

3 


34  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

priesthood  is  called,  at  the  synod  of  Chartres,  in  1550, 
the  seat  of  the  saints.  Priests  are  called  Vicars  of  Jesus 
Christ,  because  they  hold  his  place  on  earth.  "  You 
hold  the  place  of  Christ,"  says  St.  Augustine  to  them; 
"you  are  therefore  his  lieutenants."  ]  In  the  Council  of 
Milan,  St.  Charles  Borromeo  called  priests  the  repre 
sentatives  of  the  person  of  God  on  earth.2  And  before 
him,  the  Apostle  said:  For  Christ  we  are  ambassadors, 
God,  as  it  were,  exhorting  by  us? 

When  he  ascended  into  heaven,  Jesus  Christ  left  his 
priests  after  him  to  hold  on  earth  his  place  of  mediator 
between  God  and  men,  particularly  on  the  altar.  "  Let 
the  priest,"  says  St.  Laurence  Justiniari,  "approach  the 
altar  as  another  Christ. 'M  According  to  St.  Cyprian,  a 
priest  at  the  altar  performs  the  office  of  Christ.5  When, 
says  St.  Chrysostom,  you  have  seen  a  priest  offering  sacri 
fice, consider  that  the  hand  of  Christ  is  invisibly  extended.6 

The  priest  holds  the  place  of  the  Saviour  himself, 
when,  by  saying  "Ego  te  absolvo,"  he  absolves  from 
sin,  This  great  power,  which  Jesus  Christ  has  received 
from  his  eternal  Father,  he  has  communicated  to  his 
priests.  "Jesus,"  says  Tertullian,  "  invests  the  priests 
with  his  own  powers."1  To  pardon  a  single  sin  requires 
all  the  omnipotence  of  God.  "O  God,  who  chiefly 
manifestest  Thy  almighty  power  in  pardoning  and  show 
ing  mercy,"8  etc.,  says  the  holy  Church  in  one  of  her 

1  "  Vos  estis  Vicarii  Christi,  qui  vicem  ejus  geritis." — Ad  Fr.  in  er. 
s.  36. 

8  "  Dei  personam  in  terris  gerentes." 

3  "  Pro  Christo   legatione   fungimur,  tamquam   Deo  exhortante   per 
nos." — 2  Cor.  v.  20. 

4  "Accedat  Sacerdosadaltaris  tribunal  ut  Christus." — Serm.  deEuchar. 

5  l<  Sacerdos  vice  Christi  vere  fungitur." — Ep.  ad  Occil. 

6  "  Cum  videris  Sacerdotem  offerentem,  consideres  Christi  manum  in- 
visibiliter  extensam." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  60. 

7  "  De  suo  vestiens  Sacerdotes." 

8  "  Deus,  qui   omnipotentiam  tuam   parcendo  maxime  et  miserendo 
manifestas." — Dam.  \v  post  Pent. 


CHAP,  i,]       The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  3  5 

prayers.  Hence,  when  they  heard  that  Jesus  Christ 
pardoned  the  sins  of  the  paralytic,  the  Jews  justly  said: 
Who  can  forgive  sins  but  God  alone  ? '  But  what  only  God 
can  do  by  his  omnipotence,  the  priest  can  also  do  by 
saying  "  Ego  te  absolve  a  peccatis  tuis;"  for  the  forms 
of  the  sacraments,  or  the  words  of  the  forms,  produce 
what  they  signify.  How  great  should  be  our  wonder  if 
we  saw  a  person  invested  with  the  power  of  changing  a 
negro  into  a  white  man;  but  the  priest  does  what  is  far 
more  wonderful,  for  by  saying  "  Ego  te  absolvo "  he 
changes  the  sinner  from  an  enemy  into  the  friend  of 
God,  and  from  the  slave  of  hell  into  an  heir  of  paradise. 
Cardinal  Hugo  represents  the  Lord  addressing  the 
following  words  to  a  priest  who  absolves  a  sinner:  "  I 
have  created  heaven  and  earth,  but  I  leave  to  you  a 
better  and  nobler  creation;  make  out  of  this  soul  that 
is  in  sin  a  new  soul,  that  is,  make  out  of  the  slave  of 
Satan,  that  the  soul  is,  a  child  of  God.  I  have  made  the 
earth  bring  forth  all  kinds  of  fruit,  but  to  thee  I  confide 
a  more  beautiful  creation,  namely,  that  the  soul  should 
bring  forth  fruits  of  salvation."5  The  soul  without 
grace  is  a  withered  tree  that  can  no  longer  produce 
fruit;  but  receiving  the  divine  grace,  through  the  minis 
try  of  a  priest,  it  brings  forth  fruits  of  eternal  life.  St. 
Augustine  says,  that  to  sanctify  a  sinner  is  a  greater 
work  than  to  create  heaven  and  earth.3  And  hast  thou, 
says  Job,  an  arm  like  God,  and  canst  thou  thunder  with  a 
voice  like  Him  ?*  Who  is  it  that  has  an  arm  like  the  arm 

1  "  Quis  potest  dimittere  peccata,  nisi  solus  Deus?" — Luke,  v.  21. 

"2  "  Ego  feci  coehim  et  terram;  verumtamen  meliorem  et  nobiliorem 
creationem  do  tibi:  fac  novam  animam  quae  est  in  peccato.  Ego  feci  ut 
terra  produceret  fructus  suos;  do  tibi  meliorem  creationem,  ut  anima 
fructus  suos  producat." 

3  "  Prorsus  majus  hoc  esse  dixerim,  quam  est  coelum  et  terra,  et  quae- 
cunque  cernuntur  in  ccelo  et  in  terra." — In  Jo.  tr.  72. 

4  "  Et  si  habes  brachium  sicut  Deus,  et  si  voce  simili  tonas?" — Jol\ 
xl.  4- 


36  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

of  God,  and  thunders  with  a  voice  like  the  thundering 
voice  of  God  ?  It  is  the  priest,  who,  in  giving  absolu 
tion,  exerts  the  arm  and  voice  of  God,  by  which  he 
rescues  souls  from  hell. 

According  to  St.  Ambrose,  a  priest,  in  absolving  a 
sinner,  performs  the  very  office  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the 
sanctification  of  souls.1  Hence,  in  giving  priests  the 
power  of  absolving  from  sin,  the  Redeemer  breathed  on 
them,  and  said  to  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost:  whose  sins 
you  shall  forgive,  they  are  forgiven;  and  whose  sins  you  shall 
retain,  they  are  retained?1  He  gave  them  his  own  Spirit, 
that  is,  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  sanctifier  of  souls,  and  thus 
made  them,  according  to  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  his 
own  coadjutors:  We  are  God's  coadjutors.'1'  "  On  priests," 
says  St.  Gregory,  "it  is  incumbent  to  give  the  final 
decision,  for  by  the  right  that  they  have  received  from  the 
Lord  they  now  remit,  now  retain  sins."4  St.  Clement, 
then,  had  reason  to  say  that  the  priest  is,  as  it  were,  a 
God  on  earth.5  God,  said  David,  stood  in  the  congregation 
of  the  gods?  These  gods  are,  according  to  St.  Augustine, 
the  priests  of  God.7  Innocent  III.  has  written:  "  Indeed, 
it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  view  of  the  sublimity  of 
their  offices  the  priests  are  so  many  gods."' 

1  "  Munus  Spiritus  Sancti,  officium  Sacerdotis." 

2  "  Insufflavit,  et  dixit  eis:  Accipite  Spiritum  Sanctum:  quorum  remi- 
seritis  peccata,  remittuntur  eis;  et  quorum  retinueritis,  retenta  sunt." — 
John,  xx.  22. 

3  "  Dei  enim  sumus  adjutores." — I  Cor.  iii.  9. 

4  "  Principatum  superni  judicii   sortiuntur;   ut,  vice  Dei,  quibusdam 
peccata  retineant,  quibusdam  relaxent." — In  Evang.  horn.  26. 

5  "  Post  Deum,  terrenus  Deus." — Const,  a  post.  1.  2,  c.  26. 

6  "  Deus  stetit  in  synagoga  Deorum." — Ps.  Ixxxi.  i. 

1  "  Dii  excelsi,  in  quorum  synagoga  Deus  Deorum  stare  desiderat." — 
Ad  Fr.  in  er.  s.  36. 

8  "  Sacerdotes,  propter  officii  dignitatem,  Deorum  nomine  nuncupan- 
tur." — Can.  Cum  ex  injuncto.  De  Haret. 


CHAP,  i.]       The  Dignity  of  the  Priesthood.  3  7 


VI. 
Conclusion. 

How  great,  then,  says  St.  Ambrose,  the  disorder  to 
see  in  the  same  person  the  highest  dignity  and  a  life 
of  scandal,  a  divine  profession  and  wicked  conduct  ! ' 
What,  says  Salvian,  is  a  sublime  dignity  conferred  on  an 
unworthy  person  but  a  gem  enchased  in  mire  ?2 

Neither  doth  any  man,  says  St.  Paul,  take  the  honor  to 
himself,  but  he  that  is  called  by  God,  as  Aaron  was.  For 
Christ  did  not  glorify  Himself  that  He  might  be  made  a  high 
priest;  but  He  that  said  unto  Him:  Thou  art  my  Son;  this  day 
have  I  begotten  Thee?  Let  no  one,  he  says,  dare  to  ascend 
to  the  priesthood,  without  first  receiving,  as  Aaron  did, 
the  divine  call;  for  even  Jesus  Christ  would  not  of 
himself  assume  the  honor  of  the  priesthood,  but  waited 
till  his  Father  called  him  to  it.  From  this  we  may  infer 
the  greatness  of  the  sacerdotal  dignity.  But  the  greater 
its  sublimity,  the  more  it  should  be  dreaded.  "For," 
says  St.  Jerome,  "  great  is  the  dignity  of  priests;  but 
also,  when  they  sin,  great  is  their  ruin.  Let  us  rejoice 
at  having  been  raised  so  high,  but  let  us  be  afraid  of 
falling."4  Lamenting,  St.  Gregory  cries  out:  "Purified 
by  the  hands  of  the  priest  the  elect  enter  the  heavenly 
country,  and  alas  !  priests  precipitate  themselves  into 

1  "  Ne  sit  honor  sublimis,  et  vitadeformis;  deifica  professio,  et  illicita 
actio.     Actio  respondeat  nomini." — De  Dignat.  sac.  c.  3. 

2  "  Quid   est  dignitas  in  indigno,  nisi  ornamentum   in  luto?" — Ad 
Ecd.  cath.  1.  2. 

3  "Nee  quisquam   sumit  sibi  honorem,  sed  qui  vocatur  a  Deo,  tam- 
quam  Aaron.     Sic  et  Christus  non  semetipsum  clarificavit   ut  Pontifex 
fieret,  sed  qui  locutus  est  ad  eum:   Filius  meus  es  tu;  ego  hodie  genui 
Mt."—Heb.  v.  4. 

4  "  Grandis  dignitas  Sacerdotum,  sed  grandis  ruina  eorum,  si  peccant. 
Lsetemur  ad  ascensum,  sed  timeamus  ad  lapsum." — In  Ezech.  c.  44. 


38  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

the  fire  of  hell  !"  '  The  saint  compares  priests  to  the 
baptismal  water  which  cleanses  the  baptized  from  their 
sins,  and  sends  them  to  heaven,  "  and  is  afterwards 
thrown  into  the  sink."2 

1  "  Ingrediuntur  electi,   Sacerdotum   manibus  expiati,  coelestem  pa- 
triatn:  et  Sacerdotes  ad  inferni  supplicia  festinant  !" 

2  "  Et  ipsa  in  cloacas  descendit  !" — In  Evang.  horn.  17. 


CHAP,  ii.]        The  End  of  tJie  Priesthood.  39 


CHAPTER  II 

THE    END    OF    THE    PRIESTHOOD. 
I. 

The   Priesthood  Appears  to  the  Saints  a  Formidable  Charge. 

ST.  CYPRIAN  said,  that  all  those  that  had  the  true 
spirit  of  God  were,  when  compelled  to  take  the  order 
of  priesthood,  seized  with  fear  and  trembling,  as  if  they 
saw  an  enormous  weight  placed  on  their  shoulders,  by 
which  they  were  in  danger  of  being  crushed  to  death. 
"I  see,"  said  St.  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  "  all  the  saints 
frightened  at  the  sacred  ministry,  as  at  an  immense 
charge."1  St.  Epiphanius  writes,  that  he  found  no  one 
willing  to  be  ordained  a  priest.  A  Council  held  in 
Carthage  ordained  that  they  that  were  thought  worthy, 
and  refused  to  be  ordained,  might  be  compelled  to  be 
come  priests. 

St.  Gregory  Nazianzen  says:  "No  one  rejoices  when 
he  is  ordained  priest."5  In  his  life  of  St.  Cyprian,  Paul 
the  Deacon  states  that  when  the  saint  heard  that  his 
bishop  intended  to  ordain  him  priest,  he  through  humil 
ity  concealed  himself.3  *  It  is  related  in  the  life  of  St. 
Fulgentius  that  he  too  fled  away  and  hid  himself.4  St. 
Athanasius  also,  as  Sozomen  relates,  took  flight  in  order 
to  escape  the  priesthood.  St.  Ambrose,  as  he  himself 

1  "  Omnes  sanctos  reperio  divini  ministerii  ingentem  veluti  molem 
formidantes." — De  Fest.  pasch.  horn.  I. 

2  "  Nemo  laeto  animo  creattir  Sacerdos." 

3  "  Humiliter  secessit. " — Vita  S.  Cypr. 

4  "  Vota  eligentium  velociori  prseveniens  fuga,  latebris  incertis  abscoa- 
ditur." — Vita  S.  Fulg.  c.  i6» 


40  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

attests,  resisted  for  a  long  time  before  he  consented  to 
be  ordained.1  St.  Gregory,  even  after  it  was  made  mani 
fest  by  miracles  that  God  wished  him  to  be  a  priest, 
concealed  himself  under  the  garb  of  a  merchant,  in 
order  to  prevent  his  ordination. 

To  avoid  being  ordained,  St.  Ephrem  feigned  mad 
ness;  St.  Mark  cut  off  his  thumb;  St.  Ammonius  cut  off 
his  ears  and  nose,  and  because  the  people  insisted  on 
his  ordination,  he  threatened  to  cut  out  his  tongue,  and 
thus  they  ceased  to  molest  him. 

It  is  known  to  all,  that  St.  Francis  remained  a  deacon, 
and  refused  to  ascend  to  the  priesthood,  because  he 
learned  by  revelation,  that  the  soul  of  a  priest  should 
be  as  pure  as  the  water  that  was  shown  to  him  in  a 
crystal  vessel.  The  Abbot  Theodore  was  only  a  deacon, 
but  he  would  not  exercise  the  duties  of  the  Order  he 
had  received  because  during  prayer  he  was  shown  a 
pillar  of  fire,  and  heard  the  following  words:  "If  you 
have  a  heart  as  inflamed  as  this  pillar,  you  may  then 
exercise  your  Order."  The  Abbot  Motues  was  a  priest, 
but  always  refused  to  offer  the  holy  Mass,  saying  that 
he  had  been  compelled  to  take  holy  Orders,  and  that 
because  he  felt  himself  unworthy,  he  could  not  celebrate. 

Formerly  there  were  but  few  priests  among  the 
monks,  whose  lives  were  so  austere;  and  the  monk  who 
aspired  to  the  priesthood  was  considered  to  be  a  proud 
man.  Hence,  to  try  the  obedience  of  one  of  his  monks, 
St.  Basil  commanded  him  to  ask  in  public  the  Order  of 
priesthood;  his  compliance  was  regarded  as  an  act  of 
heroic  obedience,  because  by  his  obedience  in  asking  to 
be  ordained  priest  he,  as  it  were,  declared  himself  to  be 
a  man  filled  with  the  spirit  of  pride. 

But  how,  I  ask,  does  it  happen  that  the  saints,  who 
live  only  for  God,  resist  their  ordination  through  a  sense 

1  "  Quam  resistebam,  ne  ordinarer  !" — Epist.  82. 


CHAP,  ii.]        The  End  of  the  Priesthood.  4 1 

of  their  unworthiness,  and  that  some  run  blindly  to  the 
priesthood,  and  rest  not  until  they  attain  it  by  lawful  or 
unlawful  means  ?  Ah,  unhappy  men  !  says  St.  Bernard, 
to  be  registered  among  the  priests  of  God  shall  be  for 
them  the  same  as  to  be  enrolled  on  the  catalogue  of  the 
damned.  And  why?  Because  such  persons  are  gener 
ally  called  to  the  priesthood,  not  by  God,  but  by  rela 
tives,  by  interest,  or  ambition.  Thus  they  enter  the  house 
of  God,  not  through  the  motive  that  a  priest  should  have, 
but  through  worldly  motives.  Behold  why  the  faithful 
are  abandoned,  the  Church  dishonored,  so  many  souls 
perish,  and  with  them  such  priests  are  also  damned. 

II. 
What  is  the  End  of  the  Priesthood. 

God  wills  that  all  men  should  be  saved,  but  not  in  the 
same  way.  As  in  heaven  he  has  distinguished  different 
degrees  of  glory,  so  on  earth  he  has  established  differ 
ent  states  of  life,  as  so  many  different  ways  of  gaining 
heaven.  On  account  of  the  great  ends  for  which  it  has 
been  instituted,  the  priesthood  is  of  all  these  the  most 
noble,  the  most  exalted  and  sublime.  What  are  these 
ends?  Perhaps  the  sole  ends  of  the  priesthood  are  to 
say  Mass,  and  to  recite  the  Office,  and  then  to  live  like 
seculars  ?  No,  the  end  for  which  God  has  instituted  the 
priesthood  has  been  to  appoint  on  earth  public  persons 
to  watch  over  the  honor  of  his  divine  majesty,  and  to 
procure  the  salvation  of  souls.  For  every  high  priest,  says 
St.  Paul,  taken  from  among  men,  is  ordained  for  men  in  the 
things  that  appertain  to  God,  that  he  may  offer  up  gifts  and 
sacrifices  for  sins:  who  can  have  compassion  on  them  that  are 
ignorant  and  that  err.1  To  execute  the  office  of  the  priest- 

1  "  Omnis  namque  Pontifex,  ex  hominibus  assumptus,  pro  hominibus 
constituitur  in  iis  quae  sunt  ad  Deum,  ut  offerat  dona  et  sacrificia  pro  pec- 
atis;  qui  condolere  possit  iis  qui  ignorant  et  errant.." — Heb^  v»  i^ 


42  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

hood  and  to  have  praise.1  "  That  is,"  says  Cardinal  Hugo, 
"  to  perform  the  office  of  praising  God."  3  And  Cornelius 
a.  Lapide  says:  "  Just  as  it  is  the  office  of  the  angels  to 
praise  God  without  ceasing  in  heaven,  so  it  is  the  office 
of  priests  to  praise  God  without  ceasing  on  earth."3 

Jesus  Christ  has  made  priests,  as  it  were,  his  co-oper 
ators  in  procuring  the  honor  of  his  eternal  Father  and 
the  salvation  of  souls,  and  therefore,  when  he  ascended 
into  heaven,  he  protested  that  he  left  them  to  hold 
his  place,  and  to  continue  the  work  of  redemption 
which  he  had  undertaken  and  consummated.  "He 
made  them,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  the  vicars  of  his  love." 4 
And  Jesus  Christ  himself  said  to  his  disciples:  As  the 
Father  hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you. 5  I  leave  you  to  per 
form  the  very  office  for  which  I  came  into  the  world;  that 
is,  to  make  known  to  men  the  name  of  my  Father.  And 
addressing  his  eternal  Father,  he  said:  /  have  glorified 
Thee  on  earth;  I  have  finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest 
me  to  do;  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  to  the  men!"  He  then 
prayed  for  his  priests:  I  have  given  them  Thy  word.  .  .  . 
Sanctify  them  in  truth.  .  .  .  As  Thou  hast  sent  me  into  the 
world,  I  also  have  sent  them.''  Thus,  priests  are  placed  in 
the  world  to  make  known  to  men  God  and  his  perfec 
tions,  his  justice  and  mercy,  his  commands,  and  to  pro 
cure  the  respect,  obedience,  and  love  that  he  deserves. 
They  are  appointed  to  seek  the  lost  sheep,  and  when 

1  "  Fungi  sacerdotio  et  habere  laudem." — Ecclus.  xlv.  19. 

2  "  '  Habere  laudem,'  id  est,  officium  laudandi  Deum." 

3  "  Sicut  Angelorum  est  perpetim  laudare  Deum  in  coelis,  sic  Saccr- 
dotum  officium  est  eumdem  jugiter  laudare  in  terris." 

4  "  Amoris  sui  velut  vicarium  (Petrum)  relinquebat." — In  Luk.  1.  10, 
c.  ult. 

5  "  Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos." — John,  xx.  21. 

6  "Ego  te  clarificavi  super  terram;   opus  consummavi.  .   .   .   Mani- 
festavi  nomen  tuum  hominibus." — John,  xvii.  4. 

7  "  Ego  dedi  eis  sermonem  tuum.   .   .   .   Sanctifica  eos  in  veritate. 
.   .  .  Sicut  tu  me  misistl  in  mundum,  et  ego  misi  eos." — Ibid.  xvii.  18. 


CHAP,  ii.]        The  End  of  the  Priesthood.  43 

necessary,  to  give  their  lives  for  them.  This  is  the  end 
for  which  Jesus  Christ  has  come  on  earth,  for  which  he 
has  constituted  priests:  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  I  also 
send  you. 

III. 
Principal  Duties  of  the  Priest. 

Jesus  came  into  the  world  for  no  other  purpose  than 
to  light  up  the  fire  of  divine  love.  I  am  come  to  cast  fire 
on  the  earth,  and  what  will  I  but  that  it  be  kindled?  And 
the  priest  must  labor  during  his  whole  life,  and  with  his 
whole  strength,  not  to  acquire  riches,  honors,  and 
worldly  goods,  but  to  inspire  all  with  the  love  of  God. 
"  Therefore,"  says  the  author  of  the  Imperfect  Work, 
"has  Christ  sent  us  not  that  we  may  do  what  is  to  our 

profit,  but  what  is  for  the  glory  of  God True 

love  does  not  seek  its  own  advantage,  but  it  wishes  in 
all  things  only  what  is  the  good  pleasure  of  the  person 
loved."2  In  the  Book  of  Leviticus  the  Lord  says  to 
his  priests:  I  have  separated  you  from  other  people,  that  you 
should  be  Mine?  Mark  the  words  that  you  should  be  Mine  ; 
that  you  may  be  employed  in  my  praises,  devoted  to 
my  service,  and  to  my  love:  "  The  co-operators  and 
dispensers  of  my  sacraments,"  says  St.  Peter  Damian.4 
"  Mine,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  that  you  may  be  the  guides 
and  the  rulers  of  the  flock  of  Christ."5  "Mine"  for, 
according  to  the  same  Doctor,  the  minister  of  the  altar 

1  "  Ignem  veni  mittere  in  terram;  et  quid  volo,  nisi  ut  accendatur  ?" 
— Luke,  xii.  49. 

2  "  Ideo  vocati  sumus  a  Christo,  non  ut  operemur  quae  ad  nostrum 
pertinent  usum,  sed  quae  ad  gloriam  Dei.   .   .   .  Verus  amor  non  quserit 
quse  sua   sunt,   sed   ad    libitum   ainati   cuncta   desiderat   perficere." — 
Horn.  34. 

3  "  Separavi  vos  a  caeteris  populis,  ut  essetis  mei." — Levit.  xx.  26. 

4  "  Sacramentorum  Dei  cooperatores  et  dispensatores." — Opusc.  27, 
c.  3. 

5  "  Duces  et  rectores  gregis  Christi." — De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  2. 


44  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

belongs  not  to  himself,  but  to  God.1  The  Lord  sepa 
rates  his  priests  from  the  rest  of  his  people  in  order  to 
unite  them  entirely  to  himself.  Is  it  a  small  thing  unto 
you  that  the  God  of  Israel  hath  separated  you  from  all  the 
people,  and  joined  you  to  Himself? 

If,  said  the  Redeemer,  any  man  minister  unto  Me,  let 
him  follow  Me.3  Let  him  follow  Me  ;  he  should  follow 
Jesus  Christ  by  shunning  the  world,  by  assisting  souls, 
by  promoting  the  love  of  God,  and  extirpating  vice. 
The  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee  have  fallen  upon 
Me."  The  priest,  who  is  a  true  follower  of  Jesus  Christ, 
regards  injuries  done  to  God  as  offered  to  himself. 
Seculars,  devoted  to  the  world,  cannot  render  to  God 
the  veneration  and  the  gratitude  that  are  due  to  him: 
hence,  says  a  learned  author,  Father '  Frassen,  it  has 
been  necessary  to  select  certain  persons,  that  by  the  ful 
filment  of  their  peculiar  office  and  obligations  they  may 
give  due  honor  to  the  Lord.5 

In  every  government  ministers  are  appointed  to  en 
force  the  observance  of  the  laws,  to  remove  scandals,  to 
repress  the  seditious,  and  to  defend  the  honor  of  the 
king.  For  all  these  ends  the  Lord  has  constituted 
priests  the  officers  of  his  court.  Hence  St.  Paul  has 
said:  Let  us  exhibit  ourselves  as  the  ministers  of  God.6 
Ministers  of  state  always  endeavor  to  procure  the  re 
spect  due  to  their  sovereign,  and  to  extend  his  glories; 
they  always  speak  of  him  in  terms  of  praise,  and  should 
they  hear  a  word  against  their  master,  with  what  zeal 

1  "  Verus  minister  altaris  Deo,  non  sibi,  natus  est." — In  Ps.  118,  s.  8. 

2  "  Separavit  vos   Deus   Israel  ab  omni  populo,    et  junxit  sibi." — 
Num.  xvi.  9. 

3  "  Si  quis  mihi  ministrat,  me  sequatur." — John,  xii.  26. 

4  ' '  Opprobria  exprobrantium  tibi  ceciderunt  super  me. " — Ps.  Ixviii.  10. 

5  "  Fuit   necessarium   aliquos   e  populo  seligi  ac   destinari,   qui  ad 
impendendum  debitum  Deo  cultum,  et  sui  status  obligatione  et  institu- 
tione,  intenderent." — Scotus  acad.  De  Ord.  d.  I,  a.  I,  q.  i. 

6  "  Exhlbeamus  nosmetipsos  sicut  Dei  ministros." — 2  Cor.  vi.  4. 


CHAP,  ii.]        The  End  of  the  Priesthood.  45 

do  they  reprove  the  author  of  it  ?  They  study  to  gratify 
his  inclinations,  and  even  expose  their  life  in  order  to 
please  him.  Is  it  thus  that  priests  act  for  God  ?  It  is 
certain  that  they  are  his  ministers  of  state:  by  them  are 
managed  all  the  interests  of  his  glory.  Through  them 
sins  should  be  removed  from  the  world:  this  is  the  end 
for  which  Jesus  Christ  has  died.  Crucified,  that  the  body 
of  sin  may  be  destroyed.1  But  on  the  day  of  judgment  how 
can  the  judge  acknowledge  as  his  true  minister  the 
priest  who,  instead  of  preventing  the  sins  of  others,  is 
the  first  to  conspire  against  Jesus  Christ  ?  What  would 
you  say  of  ministers  who  should  neglect  to  attend  to 
the  interests  of  their  sovereign,  and  should  refuse  to 
assist  him  when  he  stood  in  need  of  their  aid  ?  But 
what  would  you  say  if  these  ministers  also  spoke  against 
their  master,  and  endeavored  to  deprive  him  of  his 
throne  by  entering  into  an  alliance  with  his  enemies  ? 

Priests  are  the  ambassadors  of  God,  says  the  Apostle: 
For  Christ  we  are  ambassadors?  They  are  his  coadjutors 
in  procuring  the  salvation  of  souls:  For  we  are  God's 
coadjutors:1  For  this  end  Jesus  Christ  gave  them  the 
Holy  Ghost,  that  they  might  save  souls  by  remitting 
their  sins.  He  breathed  on  them,  and  He  said  to  them  :  Re 
ceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they 
are  forgiven  them."  Hence  the  theologian  Habert  has 
written  that  the  essence  of  the  priesthood  consists  in 
seeking  ardently  to  procure  first  the  glory  of  God,  and 
then  the  salvation  of  souls.5 

The  business,  then,  of  every  priest  is  to  attend,  not  to 

1  "  Crucifixus  est,  ut  destruatur  corpus  peccati." — Rom.  vi.  6. 

2  "  Pro  Christo  legatione  fungimur. " — 2  Cor.  v.  20. 

3  "  Dei  enim  sumus  adjutores." — i  Cor.  iii.  9. 

4  "  Insufflavit,  et  dixit  eis:  Accipite  Spiritum  Sanctum:  quorum  re- 
miseritis  peccata,  remittuntur  eis." — John,  xx.  22. 

6  "  Ingenium  sacerdotale  essentialiter  consistit  in  ardenti  studio 
promovendi  gloriam  Dei  et  salutem  proximi." — De  Ord.  p.  3,  c.  5,  q.  3. 


46  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

the  things  of  the  world,  but  to  the  things  of  God:  He 
is  ordained  in  the  things  that  appertain  to  God.1  Hence  St. 
Silvester  ordained  that  for  ecclesiastics  the  days  of  the 
week  should  be  called  Feria,  or  vacant  or  free  days;  and 
he  says:  "  It  is  every  day  that  the  priest,  free  from 
earthly  occupations,  should  occupy  himself  entirely  with 
God."2  By  this  he  meant  that  we,  who  are  ordained 
priests,  should  seek  nothing  but  God  and  the  salvation 
of  souls,  an  office  which  St.  Denis  called  "  the  most 
divine  of  all  the  divine  offices."1  St.  Antonine  says 
that  the  meaning  of  sacerdos  is  sacra  docens,  one  that 
teaches  sacred  things.4  And  Honorius  of  Autun  says  that 
presbyter  signifies  prcebcns  iter,  one  that  shows  the  way.5 
Hence  St.  Ambrose  calls  priests  the  guides  and  rectors  of 
the  flock  of  Christ.*  And  St.  Peter  calls  ecclesiastics  a 
kingly  priesthood,  a  holy  nation,  a  purchased  people.'1  A 
people  destined  to  acquire  not  riches,  but  souls.  St. 
Ambrose  calls  the  sacerdotal  office  "  an  office  that  should 
acquire  not  money,  but  souls.'"  Even  the  Gentiles 
wished  their  priests  to  attend  only  to  the  worship  of 
their  gods,  and  therefore  they  would  not  permit  them 
to  hold  the  office  of  secular  magistrates. 

Hence,  speaking  of  priests,  St.  Gregory  says,  with 
tears,  it  is  our  duty  to  abandon  all  earthly  business  in 
order  to  attend  to  the  things  of  God,  but  we  do  the 

1  "  Constituitur  in  iis  quae  sunt  ad  Deum." — Hcbr.  v.  I. 

2  "  Quo    significaretur   quotidie    clericos,    abjecta   ceterarum   rerum 
cura,  uni  Deo  prorsus  vacare  debere." — Brcviar.  31  Dec. 

3  "  In  hoc  sita  est  Sacerdotis  perfectio,  ut  ad  divinam  promoveatur 
imitationem,  quodque  divinius  est  omnium,  ipsius  etiam  Dei  cooperator 
existat." — De  Ca'l.  Hierarch.  c.  3. 

4  "  Sacerdos — Sacra  docens." — Summ.  p.  3,  tr.  14,  c.  7,  §  r. 

5  "  Presbyter — Praebens  iter." — Gemma  an.  1.  i,  c.  181. 

6  "  Duces  et  Rectores  gregis  Christi." — De  Dignit.  Sacerd.  c.  2. 
'"Regale    Sacerdotium,     Gens    Sancta,    Populus    acquisitions. "- 

i  Pd.  ii.  9. 

8  "  Officium  quaestus,  non  pecuniarum,  sed  animarum." — Scrm.  78. 


CHAP,  ii.]        The  End  of  the  Priesthood.  47 

very  contrary,  "  for  we  desert  the  cause  of  God  and 
devote  all  our  care  to  the  things  of  the  earth."1  After 
being  appointed  by  God  to  attend  only  to  the  advance 
ment  of  his  glory,  Moses  spent  his  time  in  settling  the 
disputes  of  the  people.  Jethro  rebuked  him  for  his  con 
duct,  saying:  Thou  art  spent  with  foolish  labor.  .  .  .  Be 
thou  to  the  people  in  the  things  that  pertain  to  God?  But 
what  would  Jethro  say  if  he  saw  our  priests  employed 
in  mercantile  affairs,  acting  as  the  servants  of  seculars, 
or  occupied  in  arranging  marriages,  but  forgetful  of  the 
works  of  God;  if,  in  a  word,  he  saw  them  seeking,  as 
St.  Prosper  says,  "  to  advance  in  wealth,  but  not  in  vir 
tue,  and  to  acquire  greater  honors,  but  not  greater 
sanctity!"3  .  .  .  "  Oh  !  what  an  abuse,"  exclaims  Father 
John  d'Avila,  "  to  make  heaven  subordinate  to  earth  !" 
"  What  a  misery,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "  to  see  so  many 
priests  seeking,  not  the  merits  of  virtue,  but  the  goods 
of  this  life  !"4 

Hence,  says  St.  Isidore  of  Pelusium,  in  the  very  works 
of  their  ministry  they  regard  not  the  glory  of  God,  but 
the  reward  annexed  to  them.5 

(Many  other  things  that  might  be  added  to  this  chap 
ter  are  omitted,  because  they  are  contained  in  the  fol 
lowing  chapter,  which  treats  of  the  offices  of  a  priest.) 

1  "  Dei    causam   relinquimus,  et   ad  terrena  negotia  vacamus." — In 
Evang.  horn.  17. 

2  "  Stulto  labore  consumeris.   .   .   .   Esto   tu   populo   in  his  quse  ad 
Deum  pertinent." — Exod.  xviii.  18. 

3  "  Non  ut  meliores,  sed  tit  ditiores  fiant;  non  ut  sanctiores,  sed  ut 
honoratiores  sint  !  " — DC  Vita  cont.  1.  I,  c.  21. 

4  "Non  virtutum  merita,  sed  subsidia  vitae  praesentis  exquirunt." — 
Mor.  1.  23,  c.  26. 

5  "Ad  stipendia  dumtaxat  oculos  habent." — Epiit.  1.  I,  ep.  447. 


48  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    SANCTITY    NECESSARY    FOR    THE    PRIEST. 
I. 

What  should  be  the  Sanctity  of  the  Priest  by  Reason  of  his 

Dignity. 

GREAT  is  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood,  but  great 
also  are  its  obligations.  Priests  ascend  to  a  great 
height,  but  in  their  ascent  they  must  be  assisted  by 
great  virtue;  otherwise,  instead  of  meriting  a  reward, 
they  shall  be  reserved  for  severe  chastisement.  "The 
sacerdotal  dignity,"  says  St.  Laurence  Justinian,  "  is 
great,  but  great  is  the  burden.  Raised  to  this  high 
degree  of  honor,  it  is  necessary  that  priests  sustain 
themselves  by  great  virtue;  otherwise  they  will  have  to 
expect  instead  of  great  merit  great  punishment."  '  And 
St.  Peter  Chrysologus  says:  "The  priests  are  honored, 
but  I  say  that  they  are  burdened."2  The  honor  of  the 
priesthood  is  great,  but  its  burden  is  also  great;  great, 
too,  is  the  account  that  priests  have  to  render  to  God. 
"  Priests,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  will  save  themselves,  not 
by  their  dignity,  but  by  the  works  that  correspond  to 
their  dignity."  ! 

Every  Christian  should  be  perfect  and  holy,  because 
every  Christian  professes  to  serve  a  God  of  holiness. 

1  "  Magna  dignitas,   sed    majus   est  pondus.      In  alto  gradu    positi 
sunt ;  oportet  quoque  ut  in  sublimi  virtutum  culmine  sint  erecti  ;  alio- 
quin,  non  ad  meritum,  sed  ad  proprium  prresunt  judicium." — De  Inst. 
pral.  c.  ii. 

2  "Sacerdotes  honorati;  dicam  autem,  onerati." 

3  "  Non    dignitas,    sed    opus     dignitatis    salvare     consuevit. " — Ad 
Sophon.  3. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          49 

"  In  this,"  says  St.  Leo,  "  a  Christian  consists,  that  he 
gets  rid  of  the  earthly  and  puts  on  the  heavenly  man."  ' 
Hence  Jesus  Christ  has  said:  Be  you  therefore  perfect,  as 
also  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect?  But  the  sanctity  of 
the  priest  should  be  very  different  from  that  of  seculars. 
"  Between  priests  and  the  rest  of  men,"  says  St.  Ambrose, 
"  there  should  be  nothing  in  common  as  to  works  and 
as  to  conduct."  :  And  the  saint  adds,  that  as  greater 
grace  is  given  to  the  priest,  so  his  life  should  be  more 
holy  than  that  of  seculars.4  And  St.  Isidore  of  Pelusium 
says  that  between  the  sanctity  of  a  priest  and  a  good 
secular  the  difference  should  be  as  great  as  between 
heaven  and  earth.5 

St.  Thomas  teaches  that  every  one  is  obliged  to  prac 
tise  what  is  suited  to  the  state  that  he  has  chosen.8 
And  according  to  St.  Augustine,  a  man  by  entering  the 
ecclesiastical  state  imposes  on  himself  the  obligation 
of  being  holy.7  And  Cassiodorus  calls  the  clerical  pro 
fession  a  heavenly  life.8  The  priest  is,  as  Thomas  a 
Kempis  says,  bound  to  greater  perfection  than  all 
others,9  because  the  priesthood  is  the  most  sublime  of 

1  "Dum  terreni  hominis  imago  deponitur,  et  coelestis  forma  susci- 
pitur." — De  Pass.  s.  14. 

2  "  Estote  ergo  vos  perfecti,  sicut  et  Pater  vester  coelestis  perfectus 
ts\."—Matth.  v.  48. 

3  "  Nihil    in   Sacerdote    commune   cum    studio    atque   usu    multitu- 
dinis." — Epist.  6. 

4  "  Debet  praeponderare  vita  sacerdotis,  sicut  praeponderat  gratia." — 
Epist.  82. 

6  "  Tantum  inter  Sacerdotem  et  quemlibet  probum  interesse  debet, 
quantum  inter  ccelum  et  terram  discriminis  est." — Epist.  1.  2,  ep.  205. 

6  "  Quicunque    profitetur   statum   aliquem,    tenetur   ad    ea   quse    illi 
statui  conveniunt." 

7  "  Clericus  duas  res  professus  est,  et  sanctitatem  et  clericatum." — 
Semi.  355,  E.  B. 

"  Professio  clericorum,  vita  ccelestis." 

"  Sacerdos  ad  majorem  tenetur   perfectionem   sanctitatis." — Imit. 
Chr.  1.  4,  c.  5. 
4 


5O  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

all  states.  Salvian  adds,  that  in  things  in  which  God 
counsels  perfection  to  seculars,  he  makes  it  imperative 
on  ecclesiastics.1 

The  priests  of  the  Old  Law  carried  on  their  forehead 
a  plate  on  which  was  engraved  the  words  Sanctum 
Domino?  that  they  might  be  reminded  of  the  sanctity 
that  they  should  profess.  The  victims  offered  by  the 
priests  should  be  entirely  consumed.  And  why?  "It 
was,"  says  Theodoret,  "  to  symbolize  the  complete  sac 
rifice  that  the  priest  has  made  of  himself  to  the  Lord."  ! 
St.  Ambrose  says  that  to  offer  sacrifice  worthily  the 
priest  ought  first  to  sacrifice  himself  by  the  oblation  of 
his  whole  being  to  God.4  And  Hesychius  has  written 
that  from  youth  till  death  the  priest  should  be  a  perfect 
holocaust  of  perfection.6  Hence  God  said  to  the  priests 
of  the  Old  Law:  I  have  separated  you  from  other  people, 
that  you  should  be  mine.6  Now,  in  the  New  Law,  the 
Lord  commands  his  priests  far  more  strictly  to  abstain 
from  worldly  business  that  they  may  labor  only  to  please 
that  God  to  whom  they  have  dedicated  themselves. 
No  man,  says  St.  Paul,  being  a  soldier  to  God,  entangleth 
himself  with  secular  business  that  he  may  please  him  to  whom 
he  hath  engaged  himself  ?  And  the  holy  Church  requires 
of  those  that  enter  the  sanctuary  by  taking  the  first 

1  "  Clericis  suis  Salvator,  non  ut  cseteris  voluntarium,  sed  imperativum 
officium  perfectionis  indicit." — De  Eccl.  Cathol.  1.  2. 
'2  "Sanctum  Domini." — Exod.  xxxix.  29. 

3  "  Ut  integritas  Sacerdotis  monstraretur,  qui  totum  se  Deo  dicaverit." 
— In  Levit.  q.  3. 

4  "  Hoc  enim    est    sacrificium    primitivum,   quando    unusquisque   se 
offert  hostiam,  et  a  se  incipit,  ut  postea  munus  suum  possit  offerre." — 
De  Abel,  1.  2,  c.  6. 

5  ' '  Sacerdos  continuum  holocaustum  offerre  praecipitur,  ut,  a  perfecta 
sapientia  incipiens,  in  eadem  finiat,  et  totam  vitam  suam  componat  ad 
perfectionem." — In  Levit.  1.  2,  c.  I. 

6  "  Separavi  vos  a  caeteris  populis,  ut  essetis  mei." — Levit.  xx.  26. 

7  "Nemo,  militans  Deo,  implicat  se  negotiis  saecularibus,  ut  ei  pla- 
ceat.  cui  se  probavit." — 2  Tim.  ii.  4. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          5 1 

tonsure,  to  promise  that  they  shall  not  engage  in  secu 
lar  pursuits,  and  to  declare  .that  thenceforward  they 
will  have  no  other  inheritance  than  the  Lord.  The  Lord 
is  the  portion  of  my  inheritance  and  of  my  cup  ;  it  is  Thou 
that  wilt  restore  my  inheritance  to  me.1  St.  Jerome  says 
that  the  clerical  dress,  the  very  state,  calls  for  and  de 
mands  sanctity  of  life.2  Thus  the  priest  should  keep 
not  only  at  a  distance  from  every  vice,  but  should  also 
make  continual  efforts  to  arrive  at  perfection.  In  this 
consists,  according  to  St.  Bernard,  the  perfection  that 
can  be  attained  in  this  life.3 

St.  Bernard  weeps  at  the  sight  of  so  many  that  run 
to  Holy  Orders  without  considering  the  sanctity  neces 
sary  for  those  that  wish  to  ascend  to  such  a  height.4 
St.  Ambrose  says,  "  Those  are  very  rare  that  can  say, 
*  The  Lord  is  my  portion.'  Those  are  very  rare  whom 
passion  does  not  inflame,  or  whom  cupidity  does  not 
actuate,  or  whom  terrestrial  cares  do  not  absorb."  5 

St.  John  the  Evangelist  writes:  Who  hath  made  us  a  king 
dom,  and  priests  to  God  and  His  Father?  In  explaining  the 
word  kingdom,  Tirinus  with  other  interpreters  says,  that 
priests  are  the  kingdom  of  God:  first,  because  in  them 
God  reigns  in  this  life  by  grace,  and  in  the  next  by 
glory:7  secondly,  because  they  are  made  kings  to  reign 
over  vice.8  St.  Gregory  says,  that  the  priest  ought  to 

1  "  Dominus  pars  hereditatis  meae  et  calicis  mei;  tu  es  qui  restitues 
hereditatem  meam  mihi." — Ps.  xv.  5. 

2  "  Clamat  vestis  clericalis,  clamat  status  professi  animi  sanctitatem." 

3  "  Jugis  conatus  ad  perfectionem,  perfectio  reputatur." — Epist.  254. 

4  "  Curritur  passim  ad   sacros    Ordines    sine    consideratione." — De 
Conv.  ad  cler.  c.  20. 

5  "  Quam  rarus,  qui  potest  dicere:  Portio  mea,  Dominus;  quern  non 
inflammet  libido,  non  stimulet  avaritia,  non  aliqua  negotiorum  saecula- 
rium  cura  sollicitet  !" — In  Ps.  cxviii.  s.  8. 

6  "  Fecit  nos  regnum  et  Sacerdotes  Deo  et  Patri  suo." — Apoc.  i.  6. 
1  "  In  quo  Deus  regnat  nunc  per  gratiam,  postea  per  gloriam.'' — 

8  "  Fecit  nos  reges;  regnamus  enim  cum  ipso,  et  imperamus  vitiis." 


52  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

be  dead  to  the  world  and  to  all  the  passions,  in  order  to 
lead  a  life  altogether  divine.1  The  present  priesthood 
is  the  same  as  that  which  Jesus  Christ  has  received 
from  his  Father:  And  the  glory  which  Thou  hast  given  to  Me, 
I  have  given  to  them?  Since,  then,  says  St.  Chrysostom,  the 
priest  represents  Jesus  Christ,  he  ought  to  have  as  much 
purity  as  would  entitle  him  to  stand  in  the  midst  of  the 
angels.3 

St.  Paul  requires  that  the  priest  should  be  irrepre- 
hensible:  //  behoveth  a  bishop  to  be  blameless."  In  the 
word  bishop,  the  Apostle  certainly  includes  priests;  for 
from  bishops  he  passes  to  deacons,  without  making 
mention  of  priests:  Deacons  in  like  manner  chaste?  etc. 
Hence  he  intended  to  comprehend  them  under  the  word 
bishop.  This  passage  is  understood  in  this  sense  by 
St.  Augustine  and  St.  John  Chrysostom,  who  in  speak 
ing  on  this  point  says,  "  What  he  said  of  bishops  he  also 
meant  for  priests."'  Now  the  word  irreprehensibilem — 
blameless — every  one  knows,  implies  the  possession  of  all 
virtues.  "  It  comprises  all  virtues," 7  says  St.  Jerome. 
And  in  explaining  this  word,  Cornelius  a  Lapide  says 
"  that  it  is  meant  for  him  who  is  not  only  exempt  from 
all  vice,  but  who  is  adorned  with  all  virtues."6 

For  eleven  centuries,  all  that  fell  into  mortal  sin  after 
baptism  were  excluded  from  the  priesthood.  This  we 

1  "  Necesse  est  ut,  mortuus  omnibus  passionibus,  vivat  vita  divina." 

2  "  Et  ego  claritatem,  quam  dedisti  mihi,  dedi  eis." — Jo/in,  xvii.  22. 

3  "  Necesse  est  Sacerdotem  sic  esse  purum,  ut,  in    ipsis  ccelis  col- 
locatus,  inter  ccelestes  illas  virtutes  medius  staret." — De  Sacerd.  1.  3. 

4  '•  Oportet  ergo  Episcopum  irreprehensibilem  esse." — I  Tim.  iii.  2. 
6  "  Diaconos  similiter  pudicos." 

6  ' '  Quae  de  Episcopis  dixit,  etiam  Sacerdotibus  congruit." — In  i  Tim. 
horn.  ii. 

1  "  Omnes  virtutes  comprehend  it." — Ep.  ad.  Occanum. 

8  "  Qui  non  tantum  vitio  careat,  sed  qui  omnibus  virtutibus  sit  orna- 
tus." 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          53 

learn  from  the  Council  of  Nice,1  from  the  Council  of 
Toledo,2  from  the  Council  of  Elvira,3  and  from  the 
Fourth  Council  of  Carthage.4  And  if  a  priest  after  his 
ordination  had  fallen  into  sin,  he  was  deposed,  and  shut 
up  in  a  monastery,  as  may  be  observed  from  several 
canons.6  In  the  sixth  canon,  the  following  reason  is 
assigned:  "Above  all,  what  the  Church  wishes  is  per 
fect  innocence.  Those  that  are  not  holy  should  not 
touch  holy  things. "e  And  in  the  several  canons  we 
read:  "Since  the  clerics  have  taken  the  Lord  for  their 
inheritance,  let  them  not  have  intercourse  with  the 
world."7  The  Council  of  Trent  declared,  "  Wherefore 
clerics  called  to  have  the  Lord  for  their  portion  ought 
by  all  means  so  to  regulate  their  whole  life  and  con 
versation  as  that  in  their  dress,  comportment,  gait,  dis 
course,  and  all  things  else,  nothing  appear  but  what  is 
grave,  regulated,  and  replete  with  religiousness."*  In 
ecclesiastics  the  Council  requires  sanctity  in  dress  as 
well  as  in  conduct,  language,  and  every  action.  St. 
John  Chrysostom  says,  that  priests  should  be  so  holy 
that  all  may  look  to  them  as  models  of  sanctity;  because 
God  has  placed  them  on  earth  that  they  may  live  like 
angels,  and  be  luminaries  and  teachers  of  virtue  to  all 
others.9 

1  Can.  9,  10.  2  I.    Can.  2.  3  Can.  76.  4  IV.  Can.  68. 

5  Corp.  fur.  Can.  dist.  81. 

6  "  In    omnibus    enim    quod    irreprehensibile    est,    Sancta   defendit 
Ecclesia.  Qui  sancti  non  sunt,  sancta  tractare  non  possunt." — Dist.  81. 
can.  4-6. 

7  "  Clerici,  quibus  pars  Dominus  est,  a  saeculi  segregati  vivant." 

8  "  Decet  omnino  clericos,  in  sortem  Domini  vocatos,  vitam  moresque 
suos  componere,  ut   habitu,  gestu,  sermone,   aliisque    rebus,  nil   nisi 
grave  ac  religione  plenum  prse  se  ferant." — Sess.  2,  cap.  i,  de  Ref. 

9  "  Sacerdos   debet  vitam  habere  immaculatam,   ut  omnes   in  ilium 
veluti  in  aliquod  exemplar  excellens    intueantur.      Idcirco   enim    nos 
(Deus)elegit,  ut  simus  quasi  luminaria,  et  magistri  cseterorum  efficiamur, 
ac  veluti  angeli  cum  hominibus  versemur  in  terris." — In  I  Tim.  horn. 

10. 


54  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

The  word  ecclesiastic,  according  to  St.  Jerome,  signifies 
a  person  who  has  taken  God  for  his  inheritance.  This 
made  the  holy  Doctor  say:  "  Let  the  cleric  then  under 
stand  the  signification  of  his  name,  and  let  him  put  his 
life  in  harmony  with  his  title."1  Let  ecclesiastics 
understand  the  signification  of  their  name,  and  live 
according  to  it;  and  since  God  is  their  portion,  let  them 
live  for  God  alone,  says  St.  Ambrose.2 

The  priest  is  a  minister  destined  by  God  for  two  most 
noble  and  exalted  offices — to  honor  him  by  sacrifices 
and  to  sanctify  souls:  Every  high  priest  taken  from  among 
men  is  ordained  for  men  in  the  things  that  appertain  to  God? 
"  Hence,"  says  St.  Thomas  on  this  passage,  "  it  is  for  the 
things  that  refer  to  God  that  the  priest  receives  his  mis 
sion,  and  'by  no  means  that  he  may  acquire  glory  or 
amass  riches."4  Every  priest  is  chosen  by  the  Lord, 
and  placed  in  the  world  to  labor,  not  to  acquire  wealth 
nor  applause,  nor  to  indulge  in  amusements,  nor  to  ad 
vance  his  family,  but  only  to  promote  the  interests  "of 
God's  glory.  "  He  is  ordained  for  the  things  that  ap 
pertain  to  God."  Hence,  in  the  Scriptures,  the  priest  is 
called  a  man  of  God.5  A  man  that  belongs  not  to  the 
world,  nor  to  relatives,  nor  to  himself,  but  only  to  God, 
and  that  seeks  nothing  but  God.  Hence  to  priests 
should  be  applied  the  words  of  David:  This  is  the  gene 
ration  of  them  that  seek  him,  erf  them  that  seek  the  face  of  the 
God  of  Jacob?  Behold  the  generation  that  seek  only 

1  "  Clericus   interpretetur   primo  vocabulum   suum,  ct   nitatur  esse 
quod  dicitur. " — Ep.  ad  Nepotian. 

2  "  Cui  Deus  portio  est,  nihil  debet  curare,  nisi  Deum." — DC  Esau. 
c.  2. 

3  "  Omnis  namque  Pontifex,  ex  hominibus  assumptus,  pro  hominibus 
constituitur  in  iis  quae  sunt  ad  Deum." — Hcbr.  v.  i. 

4  "  Non    propter   gloriam,    non   propter   cumulandas   divitias." — In 
Hebr.  v.  led.  1. 

5  "  Homo  Dei." — i  Tim.  vi.  n. 

6  "  Haec  est  generatio  quaerentium  eum." — Ps.  xxiii.  6. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          55 

God  !  As  in  heaven  God  has  appointed  certain  angels 
to  assist  at  his  throne,  so  on  earth,  among  men,  he  has 
destined  priests  to  procure  his  glory.  Hence  he  says  to 
them,  /  have  separated  you  from  other  people?  St.  John 
Chrysostom  writes:  "  Therefore  has  God  chosen  us,  that 
like  angels  we  may  live  with  men  on  earth." ''  And  God 
himself  says,  /  will  be  sanctified  in  them  that  approach  to 
Me.3  "  That  is,"  adds  the  commentator,  "  my  sanctity 
shall  be  shown  forth  by  the  sanctity  of  my  ministers.'" 

II. 

What  Should  be  the  Sanctity  of  the  Priest  as  the  Minister  of 
the  Altar. 

St.  Thomas  says,  that  greater  sanctity  is  required  in  a 
priest  than  in  religious,  on  account  of  the  most  sublime 
functions  of  his  ministry,  particularly  in  the  oblation  of 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Mass.  "  Hence,"  adds  the  holy  Doc 
tor,  "  the  cleric  who  is  ordained  sins  more  grievously 
under  similar  circumstances  if  he  does  anything  con 
trary  to  the  sanctity  of  his  state  than  the  religious  who 
is  not  ordained."5  Listen  to  the  celebrated  maxim  of 
St.  Augustine:  "A  good  monk  will  hardly  become  a 
good  cleric." '  Hence  no  one  can  be  called  a  good 
ecclesiastic  unless  he  surpasses  a  good  monk  in  virtue. 

"  A  true  minister  of  the  altar,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  is 

1  "  Separavi  vos  a  caeteris  populis,  ut  essetis  mei." — Levit.  xx.  26. 

2  "  Idcirco  enim  nos  (Deus)  elegit,  ut  veluti  angeli  cum  hominibus 
versemur  in  terris." — In  i  Tim.  horn.  10. 

3  "  Sanctificabor  in  iis  qui  appropinquant  mihi. " — Levit.  x.  3. 

4  "  Agnoscar  sanctus  ex  sanctitate  ministrorum." 

5  "  Quia,  per  sacrum  Ordinem,  aliquis  deputaturad  dignissima  min- 
isteria,  quibus  ipsi  Christo  servitur  in  Sacramento  altaris;  ad  quod  re- 
quiritur  major  sanctitas  interior,  quam  requirit  etiam  religionis  status. 
Unde  gravius  peccat,  caeteris  paribus,  clericus  in  sacris  Ordinibus  con- 
stitutus,  si  aliquid  contrarium  sanctitati  agat,  quam  aliquis  religiosus  qui 
non  habet  Ordinem  sacrum." — 2.  2,  q.  184,  a.  3. 

6  "  Bonus  monachus  vix  bonum  clericum  facit." — Epist.  60,  E.  B. 


56  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

born  for  God,  not  for  himself." '  That  is,  a  priest 
should  disregard  his  conveniencies,  his  interests,  and 
amusements;  he  should  consider  that  from  the  day  that 
he  has  received  the  priesthood,  he  belongs  not  to  him 
self,  but  to  God;  and  should  attend  only  to  the  interests 
of  God.  The  Lord  evidently  wishes  his  priests  to  be 
pure  and  holy;  that  being  cleansed  from  every  defect, 
they  may  approach  the  altar  to  offer  sacrifice  to  him: 
And,  says  the  Prophet  Malachy,  He  shall  sit  refining  and 
cleansing  the  silver,  and  He  shall  purify  the  sons  of  Levi,  and 
shall  refine  them  as  gold  and  as  silver,  and  they  shall  offer 
sacrifices  to  the  Lord  in  justice?  In  the  book  of  Leviticus 
he  says:  They  shall  be  holy  to  their  God,  and  shall  not  pro 
fane  His  name;  for  they  offer  the  burnt  offerings  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  bread  of  their  God,  and  therefore  they  shall  be  holy. 3 
The  priests  of  the  Old  Law,  then,  were  commanded  to 
be  holy,  because  they  offered  to  God  incense  and  the 
loaves  of  proposition,  that  were  but  a  figure  of  the  most 
holy  Sacrament  of  the  altar.  How  much  greater  should 
be  the  purity  and  sanctity  of  the  priests  of  the  New  Law 
that  offer  to  God  the  immaculate  Lamb,  his  own  very 
Son  ?  Estius  says  that  we  do  not  offer  calves  or  in 
cense,  as  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law  did,  "  but  the  body 
of  Christ  who  was  hanging  on  the  cross."'  Hence 
Bellarmine  says:  "Woe  be  to  us  miserable  beings,  to 

1  "  Verus  minister  altaris  Deo,  non  sibi,  natus  est." — In  Ps.  cxviii 
s.  3. 

'2  "  Et  sedebit  conflans  et  emundans  argentum;  et  purgabit  filios 
Levi,  et  colabit  eos  quasi  aurum  et  quasi  argentum;  et  erunt  Domino 
offerentes  sacrificia  in  justitia." — Mai.  iii.  3. 

3<<Sancti  erunt  Deo  suo  et  non  polluent  nomen  ejus;  incensum 
enim  Domini  et  panes  Dei  sui  offerunt,  et  ideo  sancti  erunt." — Levit. 
xxi.  6. 

4  "  Ipsum  videlicet  Corpus  Domini,  quod  in  ara  crucis  pependit. 
Ideoque  sanctitas  requiritur,  quse  sita  est  in  puritate  animi;  sine  qua, 
quisquis  ad  haec  tremenda  mysteria  accedit,  immundus  accedit." — In 
Levit.  xxi.  6. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          57 

whom  the  highest  office  has  been  assigned,  yet  we  are  so 
far  from  the  fervor  that  God  required  of  the  priests  of 
the  Old  Law,  who  were  in  comparison  with  us  only 
shadows."  : 

The  Lord  commanded  even  those  that  carried  the 
sacred  vessels  to  be  free  from  all  stain:  Be  ye  clean, you 
who  carry  the  vessels  of  the  Lord?  "  How  much  greater," 
says  Peter  de  Blois,  "  should  be  the  purity  of  priests 
who  carry  Jesus  Christ  in  their  hands  and  in  their 
breasts  ?"  3  "  He  that  holds  in  his  hands  not  only  golden 
vessels,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  but  those  vessels  in  which 
the  death  of  the  Lord  is  commemorated,  must  be  pure."  4 
The  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  should  be  holy  and  free  from 
all  stain,  because  she  was  to  carry  in  her  womb,  and  to 
treat  as  a  mother,  the  Incarnate  Word.  "Why,  then," 
says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "  should  not  sanctity  shine 
forth  with  greater  splendor  than  the  sun,  in  the  hand 
that  touches  the  flesh  of  a  God?  in  the  mouth  that  is 
filled  with  celestial  fire  ?  and  in  the  tongue  that  is  pur 
pled  with  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  ?"  5  The  priest  on 
the  altar  holds  the  place  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  He  should, 
then,"  says  St.  Laurence  Justinian,  "  approach  the  altar 
to  offer  sacrifice  like  Jesus  Christ;  imitating  as  much 
as  possible  the  purity  and  sanctity  of  Jesus  Christ."6 
How  great  the  sanctity  that  a  confessor  requires  in  a 

1  ' '  Vse  nobis  miseris,  qui,  ministerium  altissimum  sortiti,  tarn  pro- 
cul  absumus  a  fervore  quern  Salomon  in  umbraticis  Sacerdotibus 
exigebat." — In  Ps.  cxxxi.  7. 

8  "  Mundamini,  qui  fertis  vasa  Domini." — Is.  Hi.  n. 

3  "  Quanto  mundiores  esse  oportet,  qui  in  manibus  et  corpora  portant 
Christum!" — Epist.  123. 

4  "  Oportet  mundum  esse,  qui  non  solum  vasa  aurea  debet  tractare, 
sed  etiam  ilia  in  quibus  Domini  mors  exercetur." 

5  "  Quo  solari  radio  non  splendidiorem  oportet  esse  manum  Carnem 
hanc  dividentem,  os  quod  igne  spiritual!    repletur,  linguam    quae    tre- 
mendo  nimis  Sanguine  rubescit  ?" — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  60. 

6  "  Accedat  ut  Christus,  ministret  ut  sanctus." — S.  de  Euchar. 


58  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

nun,  in  order  to  permit  her  to  communicate  every  day  ? 
And  why  is  not  the  same  perfection  required  in  a  priest 
that  celebrates  every  morning? 

"  It  must  be  confessed,"  says  the  Council  of  Trent, 
"  that  man  can  perform  no  action  more  holy  than  the 
celebration  of  Mass."  ]  Hence  the  holy  Council  adds, 
that  priests  should  be  most  careful  to  offer  this  holy 
sacrifice  with  the  greatest  possible  purity  of  conscience."' 
"  But,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  what  a  horrible  thing  to 
hear  the  tongue  that  calls  down  the  Son  of  God  from 
heaven  to  earth  speaking  against  God;  and  to  see  the 
hands  that  are  bathed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
polluted  with  the  filthiness  of  sin."  : 

If  God  required  so  much  purity  in  those  that  were  to 
offer  the  sacrifice  of  animals  and  of  bread,  and  if  he 
forbid  these  oblations  to  be  made  by  him  who  had  any 
blemish, —  Whosoever  hath  a  blemish,  he  shall  not  off er  bread 
to  his  God,'' — u  how  much  greater  purity,"  says  Cardinal 
Bellarmine,  "is  required  in  those  that  have  to  offer  to 
God  his  own  Son,  the  divine  Lamb?" '  St.  Thomas 
says  that  the  word  macula  includes  every  defect: 
"Whoever  is  addicted  to  airy  vice  should  not  be  ad 
mitted  to  Holy  Orders."  °  In  the  Old  Law,  the  blind, 

1  "  Necessario  fatemur  nullum  aliud  opus  adeo  sanctum  ac  divinum 
tractari  posse,  quam  hoc  tremendum  mysterium." 

2  "  Satis  apparet  omnem    operam    in   eo  ponendam    esse,  quanta  ut 
maxima   fieri   potest    interior!  cordis  munditia  peragatur." — Scss.    22, 
deer,  de  Observ. 

3  "  Ne  lingua,  quae  vocat  de  ccelo  Filium  Dei,  contra  Dominum  lo- 
quatur;  et  manus.  quse  intinguntur  sanguine  Christi,    polluantur  san 
guine  peccati." — Molina,  Instr.  Sac.  tr.  i,  c.  5,  §  2. 

4  "  Qui  habuerit  maculam,  non  offeret  panes  Deosuo." — Lcvit.  xxi. 

17- 

5  "  Si  tanta   sanctitas  requirebatur  in  Sacerdotibus    qui  sacrificabant 
oves  et  boves,  quid,  quaeso,  requiritur   in    Sacerdotibus  qui  sacrificant 
divinum  Agnum  ?" — In  Ps.  cxxxi.  7. 

6  "  Qui  est  aliquo  vitio  irretitus,  non  debet  ad  ministerium  Ordinis 
accedere." — Suppl.  q.  36,  a.  i. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          59 

the  lame,  the  lepers,  were  forbidden  to  offer  sacrifice. 
Neither  shall  he  approach  to  minister  to  him,  if  he  be  blind, 
if  he  be  lame,  if  he  be  crooked-backed,  if  he  have  a  continual 
scab.1  Understanding  the  preceding  defects  in  a  spiri 
tual  sense,  the  holy  Fathers  say,  that  the  blind,  that  is, 
they  that  shut  their  eyes  to  the  light  of  God;  the  lame, 
that  is,  slothful  priests  that  never  advance  in  the  way  of 
God,  and  live  always  with  the  same  defects,  without 
mental  prayer,  and  without  recollection;  the  crooked- 
backed,  that  are,  by  worldly  attachments,  always  bent 
down  to  the  earth,  to  riches,  to  empty  honors,  and 
worldly  amusements;  and  the  scabious,  that  is,  the  volup 
tuous,  that  always  wallow  in  sensual  pleasures,  The  sow 
that  was  washed  to  her  wallowing  in  the  mire? — are  unfit  to 
offer  sacrifice;  in  a  word,  that  he  that  is  not  holy  is  un 
worthy  to  approach  the  altar,  because  by  the  stains 
that  he  brings  with  him  he  contaminates  the  sanctuary 
of  God.  Let  him  not  approach  the  altar,  because  he  hath 
a  blemish,  and  he  must  not  dejile  my  sanctuary? 


III. 

What  should  be  the  Sanctity  of  the  Priest  as  Mediator 
between  God  and  Man. 

The  priest  should  be  holy,  because  he  holds  the  office 
of  dispenser  of  the  sacraments;4  and  also  because  he  is 
a  mediator  between  God  and  sinners.  "  Between  God 
and  man  the  priest  stands,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
"  by  communicating  to  us  God's  benefits,  and  by  offer- 

1  "  Nee  accedet  ad  ministerium  ejus.  si  caecus  fuerit,  si  claudus,   .   .   . 
si  gibbus,   ...  si  habens  jugem  scabiem." — Levit.  xxi.  18. 
'2  "  Sus  lota  in  volutabro  luti." — 2  Pet.  ii.  22. 

3  "  Nee  accedat  ad  altare,  quia  maculam  habet,  et  contaminare  non 
debet  sanctuarium  meum." — Levit.  xxi.  23. 

4  "  Oportet  sine  crimine  esse,  sicut  Dei  dispensatorem." — Tit.  i.  7. 


60  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

ing  him  our  petitions;  he  reconciles  the  angry  Lord,  and 
wards  from  us  the  blows  of  his  justice."  ' 

Through  priests,  God  communicates  his  grace  to  the 
faithful  in  the  sacraments.  Through  them  he  makes  us 
his  children,  and  saves  us  by  baptism:  Unless  a  man  be 
born  again  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God?  Through 
them  he  heals  the  infirm,  and  even  resuscitates,  by  the 
sacrament  of  penance,  sinners  that  are  dead  to  divine 
grace.  Through  them  he  nourishes  souls,  and  preserves 
in  them  the  life  of  divine  grace,  by  means  of  the  sacra 
ment  of  the  Eucharist:  Except  you  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son 
of  man,  and  drink  His  blood,  you  shall  not  have  life  in  you? 
Through  them  he  gives  strength  to  the  dying,  to  over 
come  the  temptations  of  hell,  by  means  of  the  sacrament 
of  Extreme  Unction. 

In  a  word,  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  that  without 
priests  we  cannot  be  saved.4  By  St.  Prosper  priests  are 
called  judges  of  the  divine  will.5  By  St.  Chrysostom, 
the  walls  of  the  Church.6  By  St.  Ambrose,  the  camps 
of  sanctity,7  and  by  St.  Gregory  Nazianzen,  the  foun 
dations  of  the  world,  and  the  pillars  of  the  faith.8 
Hence  St.  Jerome  says,  that  the  priest  by  the  power 
of  his  sanctity  has  to  carry  the  weight  of  all  the  sins 

1  "  Medius  stat  Sacerdos  inter  Deum  et  naturam  humanam;   illinc 
venientia  beneficia  ad  nos  deferens,  et  nostras  petitiones  illuc  perferens 
Dominum  iratum  reconcilians,  et  nos  eripiens  ex  illius  manibus." — De 
Vcrbis  Is.  horn.  5. 

2  "  Nisi  quis  renatus  fuerit  denuo,  non  potest  videre  regnum  Dei."- 
John,  iii.  3. 

3  "Nisi    manducaveritis   carnem    Filii   hominis,   .   .   .  non    habebitis 
vitam  in  vobis." — JoJm,  vi.  54. 

4  "Sine  his,  salutis  compotes  fieri  non  possumus." — De  Sacerd.  1.  3. 
8  "  Divinae  voluntatis  Indices." — De  Vita  cont.  \.  2,  c.  2. 

6  "  Muros  Ecclesise." — Horn.  10. 
1  "  Castra  sanctitatis." — De  Offic.  1.  i,  c.  50. 
"Mundi  Fundamenta  et  Fidei  Columnas. " — Carm.  ad  Episc. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.         61 

of  the  world.1  Oh,  what  a  tremendous  weight !  And 
the  priest  shall  pray  for  him,  and  for  his  sins  before  the  Lord, 
....  and  the  sin  shall  be  forgiven?  It  is  on  this  account 
that  the  holy  Church  obliges  priests  to  recite  the  Office 
every  day,  and  to  celebrate  Mass  at  least  several  times 
in  the  year.  St.  Ambrose  says  that  priests  should  never 
cease  by  night  or  by  day  to  pray  for  the  people.3 

But  to  obtain  graces  for  others  the  priest  must  be 
holy.  "Those  that  are  mediators  between  God  and  the 
people,"  says  St.  Thomas,  "must  shine  before  God  with 
a  good  conscience,  and  with  a  good  reputation  before 
men."4  St.  Gregory  says  that  it  would  be  temerity  in 
a  mediator  to  present  himself  before  a  prince  to  ask 
pardon  for  rebels,  if  he  himself  stood  charged  with  the 
guilt  of  treason.5  They  that  wish  to  intercede  for  an 
other,  adds  the  same  saint,  must  stand  high  in  the  esti 
mation  of  the  king;  for  should  they  be  objects  of  his 
hatred,  their  intercession  will  only  increase  the  indigna 
tion  of  the  sovereign."  Hence,  according  to  St.  Augus 
tine,  the  priest  must  have  such  merit  before  God  that  he 
may  be  able  to  obtain  for  the  people  what  they,  on  ac 
count  of  their  demerits,  cannot  hope  to  receive.7  And 

1  "  Sacerdotes  onus  totius  orbis  portant  humeris  sanctitatis." — Horn, 
de  Dedic.  eccl. 

2  "  Orabitque  pro  eo  Sacerdos  et  pro  peccato  ejus  coram  Domino,  et 
repropitiabitur  ei,  dimitteturque  peccatum." — Levit.  xix.  22. 

3  "Sacerdotes  die  noctuque,  pro  plebe  sibi  commissa,  oportet  orare. " 
— In  I  Tim.  c.  3. 

4  "  Medii  inter  Deum  et  hominem  plebem,  debent  bona  conscientia 
nitere  quoad  Deum,  et  bona  fama  quoad  homines." — Suppl.  q.  36,  a.  i. 

5  "Qua  mente  apud  Deum  intercessoris  locum  pro  populo  arripit,  qui 
familiarem  se  ejus  gratiae  esse  per  vitae  merita  nescit?" — Past.  p.  I,  c.  n. 

6  "Cum  is  qui  displicet,  ad  intercedendum  mittitur,  irati  animus  ad 
deteriora  provocatur." 

1  "  Talem  esse  oportet  Domini  Sacerdotem.  ut,  quod  populus  pro  se 
apud  Deum  non  valuerit,  ipse  pro  populo  mereatur  impetrare." — In  Ps. 
xxxvi.  s.  2. 


62  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

Pope  Hormisdas  has  said,  "  The   priest  must  be  holier 
than  the  people,  because  he  must  pray  for  them."  ' 

But  St.  Bernard  says,  with  tears,  "  Behold,  the  world 
is  full  of  priests,  and  still  there  are  but  few  mediators."2 
Yes;  for  few  priests  are  holy  and  worthy  of  being  medi 
ators.  Speaking  of  bad  ecclesiastics,  St.  Augustine  says: 
"To  the  Lord  is  more  pleasing  the  barking  of  dogs  than 
the  prayer  of  such  priests. ":  Father  Marchese,  in  his 
Journal  of  the  Dominicans,  writes  that  when  a  servant  of 
God  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic  implored  the  Lord  to 
have  pity  on  the  people  through  the  merits  of  priests, 
he  said  to  her  that,  by  their  sins,  priests  provoked  rather 
than  appeased  his  anger. 


IV. 

What  should  be  the  Sanctity  of  the  Priest  given  to  the 
People  to  be  their  Model. 

Priests  should  be  holy;  because  God  has  placed  them 
in  the  world  as  models  of  virtue.  They  are  called  by 
St.  John  Chrysostom,  "Teachers  of  piety;"4  by  St. 
Jerome,  "  Redeemers  of  the  world;"5  by  St.  Prosper, 
"Gates  to  the  eternal  city  for  all  nations;"6  and  by  St. 
Peter  Chrysologus,  "Models  of  virtue."7  Hence  St.  Isi- 
dor  has  said,  "  Whoever  leads  people  on  the  road  of 

1  "  Emendatiorem  esse  convenit   populo,  quern  necesse  est  orare  pro 
populo." — Dist.  61,  can.  Non  neganms. 

2  "  Ecce  mundus  Sacerdotibus  plenus  est,  et  rarus  invenitur  mediator." 
— (We  have  not  found  these  words  in  St.  Bernard,  but  the  following  are 
St.  Gregory's  words:  "  Ecce  mundus  Sacerdotibus  plenus  est;  sed  tamen 
in  messe  Dei  rarus  valde  invenitur  operator." — In  Evang.  horn.  17.) 

3  "  Plus  placet  Deo  latratus  canum,  quam  oratio  talium  clericorum." 
— Cornel,  a  Lapid.  in  Lev.  i.  17. 

4  "  Doctores  pietatis." — Horn.  10. 

5  "Salvatores  mundi." — In  Abdiam,  21. 

6  "  Januae  civitatis  seternre." — De  Vila  cont,  1.  2,  c.  2. 

7  "  Forma  virtutum." — Sertn.  26. 


CHAP,  iii]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          63 

virtue,  must  himself  be  holy  and  blameless."1  Pope 
Hormisdas  has  written:  "Let  him  be  blameless  that 
presides  over  others  in  order  to  reform  them."2  And 
St.  Denis  has  pronounced  that  celebrated  sentence,  that 
no  one  should  dare  to  become  the  guide  of  others,  un 
less  by  his  virtues  he  has  made  himself  most  like  to 
God.3  And  according  to  St.  Gregory,  the  sermons  of 
the  priest  whose  life  is  not  edifying,  excite  contempt 
and  produce  no  fruit.4  St.  Thomas  adds,  "  For  the  same 
reason  are  disregarded  all  the  spiritual  functions  of  such 
a  one."  '  Speaking  of  the  priest  of  God,  St.  Gregory 
Nazianzen  writes:  "The  priest  must  first  be  cleansed 
before  he  can  cleanse  others;  he  must  first  himself  ap 
proach  God  before  he  can  lead  others  to  him;  he  must 
first  sanctify  himself  before  he  can  sanctify  others;  he 
must  first  be  himself  a  light  before  he  can  illumine 
others."  c 

The  hand  that  must  wash  away  the  stains  and  defile 
ments  of  others  must  not  be  polluted,  says  St.  Gregory.' 
In  another  place  he  says  that  the  torch  that  does  not 


1  "  Qui  in  erudiendis  atque  instituendis  ad  virtutem  populis  praeerit, 
necesse  est  ut  in  omnibus  sanctus  sit,  et  in  nullo  reprehensibilis. " — De 
Offic.  eal.  1.  2,  c.  5. 

2  "  Irreprehensibiles  esse  oportet,  quos  necesse  est  praeesse  corrigen- 
dis." — Ep.  ad  Episc.  Hispan, 

3  "  In  divino  omni  non  audendum  aliis  ducem  fieri,  nisi,  secundum 
omnem  habitum  suum,  factus  sit  deiformissimus  et  Deo  simillimus." — 
De  Ecd.  Hier.  c.  3. 

4  "Cujus  vita  despicitur,  restat  ut  ejus  praedicatio  contetnnatur."- 
In  Evang.  horn.  12. 

5  "  Et  eadem  ratione,  omnia  spiritualia  ab  eis  exhibita." — SuppL  q. 
36,  a.  4. 

6  "  Purgari  prius  oportet,  deinde  purgare;  ad  Deum  appropinquari,  et 
alios  adducere;  sanctificari,  et  postea  sanctificare;    lucem  fieri,  et  alios 
illuminare." — Apologet.  I. 

7  "  Necesse  est  ut  esse  munda  studeat  manus,  quae  aliorum  sordes 
curat. " — Past.  p.  2,  c.  2. 


64  Material  for  Sermcns.  [PART  i. 

burn,  cannot  inflame  others.1  And  St.  Bernard  says, 
that  to  him  that  loves  not,  the  language  of  love  is  a 
strange  and  a  barbarous  tongue.2 

Priests  are  placed  in  the  world  as  so  many  mirrors,  in 
which  seculars  should  look  at  themselves:  We  are  made 
a  spectacle  to  the  world,  and  to  angels  and  to  men*  Hence 
the  Council  of  Trent,  speaking  of  ecclesiastics,  says, 
"Others  fix  their  eyes  upon  them  as  upon  a  mirror,  and 
derive  from  them  what  they  are  to  imitate.'"  Philip 
the  Abbot  used  to  say  that  priests  are  chosen  to  defend 
the  people,  but  for  this  their  dignity  is  not  sufficient; 
sanctity  of  life  is  also  necessary.6 

V. 
Practical  Consequences. 

Hence  the  Angelic  Doctor,  considering  all  that  has 
been  said  on  the  sanctity  necessary  for  the  priesthood, 
has  written,  that  to  exercise  Holy  Orders  worthily  more 
than  ordinary  virtue  is  required.6  Again  he  says,  "  Those 
that  devote  themselves  to  the  celebration  of  the  divine 
mysteries  should  be  perfect  in  virtue."7  In  another 
place  he  says,  "  In  order  to  exercise  this  office  in  a 

1  "  Lucerna  quse  non  ardet,  non  accendit." — In  Ezech.  horn.  n. 

2  "  Lingua  amoris,  ei  qui  non  amat,  barbara  est." — In  Cant.  s.  79. 

3  ' ' Spectaculum  facti  sumus  mundo,  et  Angelis  et  hominibus." — i 
Cor.  iv.  9. 

4  "In  eos,  tanquam  in  speculum,  reliqui  omnes  oculos  conjiciunt,  ex 
iisque  sumunt  quod  imitentur." — Sess.  22,  c.  i,  dc  Ref. 

5  "  De  medio  populi  segregantur,  ut,  non  solum  seipsos,  verum   et 
populum  tueantur;  vero,  ad  hanc  tuitionem,  clericalis  non  sufficit  prse- 
rogativa  dignitatis,  nisi  dignitati  adjungatur  cumulus  sanctitatis." — De 
Dignit.  cler.  c.  2. 

6  ' '  Ad  idoneam  executionem  Ordinum,  non  sufficit  bonitas  qualiscum- 
que,  sed  requiritur  bonitas  excellens." — Suppl.  q.  35,  a.  i. 

1  "  Illi,  qui  in  divinis  mysteriis  applicantur,  perfecti  in  virtute  esse  de- 
bent." — In  4  Sent.  d.  24,  q.  3,  a.  i. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          65 

worthy  manner  interior  perfection  is  required."  l  Priests 
should  be  holy,  that  they  may  give  glory,  and  not  dis 
honor  to  that  God  whose  ministers  they  are:  They  shall 
be  holy  to  their  God,  and  shall  not  profane  His  name?  Were 
a  minister  of  state  seen  playing  in  the  public  places, 
frequenting  public-houses,  associating  with  the  rabble, 
speaking  and  acting  in  a  manner  calculated  to  reflect 
dishonor  on  the  king,  what  regard  could  such  a  minister 
entertain  for  his  sovereign  ?  By  bad  priests,  who  are 
his  ministers,  Jesus  Christ  is  covered  with  shame.  St. 
John  Chrysostom  says  that  of  unholy  priests  the  Gen 
tiles  might  say,  "What  kind  of  a  God  have  those  that 
do  such  things  ?  Would  he  bear  with  them  if  he  did 
not  approve  of  their  conduct?"3  Were  the  Chinese,  the 
Indians,  to  see  a  priest  of  Jesus  Christ  leading  a  scandal 
ous  life,  they  might  say,  how  can  we  believe  that  the 
God  whom  such  priests  preach  is  the  true  God  ?  were 
he  the  true  God,  how  could  he  bear  them  in  their 
wickedness  without  being  a  party  to  their  crimes? 

Hence  the  exhortation  of  St.  Paul:  In  all  things  let  us 
exhibit  ourselves  as  ministers  of  God.4'  Let  us,  he  says, 
addressing  priests,  appear  as  true  ministers  of  God,  in 
much  patience—  bearing  with  peace,  poverty,  infirmity,  per 
secutions;  in  watchings  and  fastings — vigilant  in  what  re 
gards  the  glory  of  God,  mortifying  the  senses;  in  chastity, 
in  knowledge,  in  sweetness,  in  charity  unfeigned — in  guarding 
holy  purity,  in  attending  to  study  in  order  to  assist  souls, 
in  practising  meekness  and  true  charity  to  our  neighbor; 

"  Interior  perfectio  ad  hoc  requiritur,  quod  aliquis  digne  hujusmod 
actus  exerceat." — 2.  2,  q.  184,  a.  6. 

2  "  Sancti  erunt  Deo  suo,  et  non  polluent  nomen  ejus." — Levit.  xxi.  6. 

3  "Qualis  est  Deus  eorum,  qui  talia  agunt?  numquid  sustineret  eos 
talia  facientes,  nisi  consentiret  eorum  operibus?" — Horn.  10. 

4  "  In  omnibus  exhibeamus  nosmetipsos  sicut  Dei  ministros:  in  multa 
patientia,  in  vigiliis,  in  jejuniis,  in  castitate,  in  scientia,  in  suavilate,  in 
caritate  non  ficta:  quasi  tristes,  semper  autem  gaudentes;  tanquam  nihil 
habentes,  et  omnia  possidentes." — 2.  Cor.  vi.  4. 

5 


66  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

as  sorrowful,  yet  always  rejoicing — appearing  afflicted  at 
being  deprived  of  the  pleasures  of  the  world,  but  enjoy 
ing  the  peace  which  is  the  portion  of  the  children  of 
God;  as  having  nothing,  but  possessing  all  things — poor  in 
earthly  goods,  but  rich  in  God;  for  he  that  possesses 
God,  possesses  all  things. 

Such  ought  priests  to  be.  In  a  word,  they  ought  to 
be  holy;  because  they  are  the  ministers  of  the  God  of 
holiness:  Be  holy,  because  I  am  holy.1  They  ought  to  be 
prepared  to  give  their  lives  for  souls,  because  they  are 
the  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  as  he  himself  has 
said,  came  to  die  for  us  who  are  his  sheep:  I  am  the  good 
shepherd.  The  good  shepherd  giveth  His  life  for  His  sheep? 
They  ought,  in  fine,  to  be  entirely  employed  in  inflam 
ing  all  men  with  the  holy  fire  of  divine  love;  because 
they  are  the  ministers  of  the  Incarnate  Word,  who  came 
into  the  world  for  that  purpose:  /  am  come  to  cast  fire  on 
the  earth,  and  what  will  I  but  that  it  be  kindled? 

David  earnestly  besought  the  Lord  to  grant,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  whole  world,  that  his  priests  might  be 
clothed  with  justice:  Let  the  priests  be  clothed  with  justice? 
Justice  comprises  all  virtues.  Every  priest  should  be 
clothed  with  faith,  by  living  according  to  the  maxims 
not  of  the  world,  but  of  faith.  The  maxims  of  the  world 
are:  It  is  necessary  to  possess  wealth  and  property,  to 
seek  the  esteem  of  others,  to  indulge  in  every  amuse 
ment  within  our  reach.  The  maxims  of  faith  are:  Happy 
are  the  poor;  we  should  embrace  contempt,  deny  our 
selves,  and  love  suffering.  The  priest  must  be  clothed 
with  holy  confidence;  hoping  for  all  things  not  from 

1  "Sancti  estote  quia  ego  sanctus  sum." — Levit.  xi.  44. 

2  "  Ego  sum  Pastor  bonus.      Bonus  Pastor  animam  suam  dat  pro  ovi- 
bus  suis. " — John,  x.  n. 

3  "  Ignem  veni  mittere  in  terram;  et  quid  volo,  nisi  ut  accendatur?" 
Luke,  xii.  49. 

4  "  Sacerdotes  tui  induantur  justitiam." — Ps.  cxxxi.  q. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.         67 

creatures,  but  only  from  God.  He  must  be  clothed 
with  humility,  considering  himself  worthy  of  all  pun 
ishment  and  contempt;  with  meekness,  being  sweet  to 
all,  particularly  to  the  rude  and  passionate;  with  charity 
towards  God  arid  man:  towards  God,  living  in  an  entire 
union  of  his  soul  with  God,  and  making  his  heart,  by 
means  of  mental  prayer,  an  altar  on  which  the  fire  of 
divine  love  always  burns;  and  towards  man,  fulfilling  the 
instruction  of  the  Apostle:  Put  ye  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect 
of  God,  holy  and  beloved,  the  bowels  of  mercy;1  and  endeavor 
ing  to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  relieve  all  in  their  spiri 
tual  and  temporal  necessities.  I  say  all — even  his  per 
secutors  and  those  that  treat  him  with  ingratitude. 

St.  Augustine  says:  "Nothing  in  this  world  is  more 
advantageous  or  more  honorable  in  the  eyes  of  men 
than  the  priestly  office.  But  in  the  eyes  of  God  nothing 
is  more  formidable,  important,  and  dangerous. "'  It  is 
a  great  happiness  and  advantage  to  be  a  priest,  to  have 
the  power  of  making  the  Incarnate  Word  descend  from 
heaven  into  his  hands,  and  of  delivering  souls  from  sin 
and  hell,  to  be  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  light  of  the 
world,  the  mediator  between  God  and  men,  to  be  raised 
and  exalted  above  all  the  monarchs  of  the  earth,  to  have 
greater  power  than  the  angels,  in  a  word,  to  be,  as  St. 
Clement  says,  a  God  on  earth:  nothing  more  advantageous. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  more  important  and  dan 
gerous?  For  if  in  his  hands,  Jesus  Christ  descends  to 
be  his  food,  the  priest  must  be  more  pure  than  the 
clearest  water,  as  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  was  told  in  a 
vision.  If  he  is  a  mediator  before  God  in  favor  of  men, 

1  "  Induite  vos  ergo,  sicut  elect!  Dei,  sancti  et  dilecti,  viscera  miseri- 
cordiae." — Col.  iii.  12.        -    . 

2  "  Nihil  in  hac  vita  felicius  et  hominibus   acceptability   Presbyteri 
officio;  sed  nihil  apud  Deum  miserius,  et  tristius,  et  damnabilius. " — 
Epist.  21,  E.  B. 

*•  Const.  A  post.  1.  2,  c.  26. 


68  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

he  must  not  appear  before  God  stained  with  the  guilt  of 
any  sin;  if  he  is  the  vicar  of  the  Redeemer,  he  must  be 
like  him  in  his  life.  If  he  is  the  light  of  the  world,  he 
must  be  refulgent  with  the  splendor  of  all  virtues.  In 
fine,  if  he  is  a  priest  he  must  be  holy.  If  he  correspond 
not  with  God's  graces,  the  greater  the  gifts  that  he  has 
received,  the  more  frightful  the  account  that  he  shall 
have  to  render  to  God.  "  For,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "  the 
gifts  of  God  while  augmenting  augment  the  account 
that  one  has  to  render."1  St.  Bernard  says  that,  the 
priest  "holds  a  celestial  office,  that  he  is  made  an  angel 
of  the  Lord,  and  [adds  the  saint],  as  an  angel  he  is 
elected  to  glory  or  condemned  to  hell."5  St.  Ambrose 
says  that  a  priest  should  be  exempt  even  from  the 
smallest  faults.  "  Not  a  mediocre  and  ordinary  virtue 
is  suitable  to  the  priest,"  says  the  same  holy  Doctor; 
"he  must  be  on  his  guard  not  only  against  shameful 
falls,  but  even  against  light  faults."1 

Hence,  if  a  priest  is  not  holy,  he  is  in  great  danger  of 
being  lost.  What  do  some,  or  rather  the  greater  number 
of  priests  do  in  order  to  acquire  sanctity  ?  They  say  the 
Office  and  Mass,  and  do  nothing  more:  they  live  with 
out  making  mental  prayer,  without  mortification,  with 
out  recollection.  Some  will  say,  It  is  enough  for  me  to 
be  saved.  "  No,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  it  is  not  enough; 
if  you  say  that  it  is  enough,  you  will  be  lost."4  To  be 
holy,  the  priest  must  lead  a  life  of  detachment  from  all 
things,  from  worldly  society,  empty  honors,  etc.:  and 
particularly  from  inordinate  attachment  to  relatives. 

1  "  Cum  enim  augentur  dona,  rationes  etiam  crescunt  donorum." — 
/;/  Evang.  horn.  9. 

-  "  Cceleste  tenet  officium,  angelus  Domini  factus  est;  tanquam 
angelus,  aut  eligitur,  aut  reprobatur." — Declam.  n.  24. 

3  "  Neque  enim  mediocris  virtus  sacerdotalis  est,  cui  cavendum,  non 
solum  ne  gravioribus  flagitiis  sit  affinis,   sed  ne  minimis  quidem." — 
Epist.  82. 

4  "  Si  dixeris:  Sufficit; — et  peristi." — Serm.  169,  E.  B. 


CHAP,  in.]  Sanctity  Necessary  for  the  Priest.          69 

When  they  see  him  attend  but  little  to  the  advancement 
of  his  family,  and  wholly  devoted  to  the  things  of  God, 
they  say  to  him:  Why  dost  thou  do  so  to  us?1  He  must 
answer  them  in  the  words  of  the  Infant  Jesus  to  his 
mother  when  she  found  him  in  the  temple:  How  is  it 
that  you  sought  Me  ?  did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about 
My  Father's  business  I*1  Such  should  be  the  answer  of  a 
priest  to  his  relatives.  Have  you,  he  should  say  to  them, 
made  me  a  priest  ?  Do  you  not  know  that  a  priest 
should  attend  only  to  God  ?  Him  only  do  I  wish  to 
seek. 

1  "  Quid  facis  nobis  sic?" 

2  "  Quid  est  quod  me  quaerebatis?  nesciebatis  quia,  in  his  quae  Patris 
mei  sunt,  oportet  me  esse  ?" — Luke,  ii.  49. 


70  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

GRIEVOUSNESS   AND    CHASTISEMENT    OF    SIN    IN    A    PRIEST. 

I. 

Grievousness  of  Sin  in  a  Priest. 

THE  sin  of  a  priest  is  very  grievous,  because  he  sins 
in  view  of  the  light:  in  consenting  to  sin  he  knows  well 
what  he  does.  On  this  account  St.  Thomas  says,  "  that 
the  sin  of  a  Christian  is  more  grievous  than  the  sin  of  an 
infidel:  because  he  knows  the  truth."  '  But  the  light  of 
a  secular,  though  a  Christian,  is  very  different  from  that 
of  a  priest.  The  priest  is  so  well  instructed  in  the 
divine  law  that  he  teaches  it  to  others.  The  lips  of  the 
priest  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they  shall  seek  the  laiu  of  his 
mouth?'  Hence  St.  Ambrose  says,  "  that  the  sins  of 
those  who  know  the  law  are  very  grievous,  because  they 
are  not  excused  by  ignorance."3  Poor  seculars  sin,  but 
they  sin  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness  of  the  world,  at  a 
distance  from  the  sacraments,  badly  instructed  in  spir 
itual  things,  and  immersed  in  worldly  business;  they 
have  but  little  knowledge  of  God,  and  consequently 
they  see  but  imperfectly  the  evil  that  they  do  in  con 
senting  to  sin.  To  use  the  words  of  David,  they  shoot  in 
the  dark*  But  priests  are  so  full  of  light  that  they  are 
the  luminaries  by  which  the  people  are  enlightened: 

1  "  Propter  notitiam  veritatis." — 2.  2,  q.  10,  a.  3. 

2  "  Labia  enim  Sacerdotis  custodient  scientiam,  et  legem  requirent 
ex  ore  ejus." — Mai.  ii.  7. 

3  "Scienti    legem,    et    non    facienti,    peccatum    est    grande." — De 
Dignit.  sac.  c.  3. 

4  "  Sagittant  in  obscuro." — Ps.  x.  3. 


CHAP,  iv.]       Gravity  of  Sin  in  a  Priest.  71 

You  are  the  light  of  the  world.1  They  are  well  instructed 
by  so  many  books  that  they  have  read,  by  so  many  ser 
mons  that  they  have  heard,  by  so  many  considerations 
that  they  have  made,  by  so  many  admonitions  that  they 
have  received  from  Superiors.  In  a  word,  to  priests 
is  given  to  know  the  mysteries  of  God.2  Hence  they 
well  understand  the  claims  that  God  has  to  our  love  and 
service,  the  malice  of  mortal  sin,  which  is  an  enemy  so 
opposed  to  God  that  were  he  capable  of  destruction  a 
single  mortal  sin  would,  as  St.  Bernard  says,  destroy 
him;3  and  in  another  place  the  saint  says:  "  Sin,  as  far  as 
in  it  lies,  aims  at  the  destruction  of  God."  *  Thus,  accord 
ing  to  St.  Chrysostom,  the  sinner,  as  far  as  his  will  is 
concerned,  puts  God  to  death.5  Hence  Father  Medina 
writes  that  mortal  sin  does  so  much  dishonor,  and  gives 
so  much  displeasure  to  God,  that  were  he  capable  of 
grief,  sin  would  make  him  die  through  pure  sorrow.6 
All  this  the  priest  understands  well:  he  has  also  a  per 
fect  knowledge  of  his  obligations  by  which  as  a  priest, 
whom  the  Lord  has  so  highly  favored,  he  is  bound  to 
serve  and  love  God.  The  more  perfectly,  then,  he  sees 
the  enormity  of  the  injury  that  he  does  to  God  by  com 
mitting  sin,  the  more  grievous  the  malice  of  his  sin,7  says 
St.  Gregory. 

Every  sin  of  a  priest  is  a  sin  of  malice;  it  is  like  the 
sin  of  the  angels  that  sinned  in  view  of  the  light,  says 
St.  Bernard,  speaking  of  a  priest;  hence  he  adds,  "  He 
has  become  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  and  sinning  as  a 

"  Vos  estis  lux  mundi." — Matth.  v.  14. 

2  "  Vobis  datum  est  nosse  mysterium  regni  Dei." — Luke,  viii.  10. 

3  "  Peccatum  est  destructivum  divinse  bonitatis." 

4  "  Peccatum,  quantum  in  se  est,  Deum  perimit." — In  Temp.  Pasch. 
s.  3. 

5  "  Quantum  ad  voluntatem  suam,  occidit  Deum." — Horn.  40. 

*  "Peccatum  mortale,  si  possibile  esset,  destrueret  Deum,  eo  quod 
esset  causa  tristitiae  (in  Deo)  infinitae." — De  Satisf.  q.  i. 
1  "  Quo  melius  videt,  eo  gravius  peccat." 


72  Material  for  Sermons.  IPART  i. 

priest  he  sins  in  heaven."  '  He  sins  in  the  midst  of 
light,  and  therefore  his  sin,  as  has  been  said,  is  a  sin  of 
malice:  he  cannot  allege  ignorance,  for  he  knows  the 
great  evil  of  mortal  sin:  he  cannot  plead  weakness,  be 
cause  he  knows  the  means  by  which,  if  he  wishes,  he 
can  acquire  strength;  if  he  is  unwilling  to  adopt  the 
means,  the  fault  is  entirely  his  own.  He  would  not  under 
stand  that  he  might  do  well?  According  to  St.  Thomas, 
the  sin  of  malice  is  that  which  is  committed  with  knowl 
edge.3  And  in  another  place  he  says:  "  Every  sin  com 
mitted  through  malice  is  against  the  Holy  Ghost."4 
We  know  from  St.  Matthew  that  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost  shall  not  be  forgiven,  neither  in  this  world  nor 
in  the  world  to  come?  That  is,  on  account  of  the  blind 
ness  caused  by  sins  of  malice  they  shall  be  pardoned 
only  with  great  difficulty. 

Our  Saviour  prayed  on  the  cross  for  his  persecutors, 
saying,  Father,  forgive  them,  for  they  know  not  what  they 
do*  But  for  bad  priests  this  prayer  was  a  source  rather 
of  condemnation  than  of  salvation:  for  they  know  what 
they  do}  Jeremias  said  with  tears,  How  is  the  gold  become 
dim,  the  finest  color  is  changed*  "  The  gold  which  has 
been  obscured,"  says  Cardinal  Hugo,  "is  the  sinful 
priest  who  ought  to  shine  forth  with  divine  love;  but  by 
committing  sin  he  becomes  black,  and  an  object  of  hor 
ror  even  to  hell,  and  becomes  more  hateful  to  God  than 

1  "  Angelus  Domini  factus  est.     In  clero  quippe,  tanquam  in  coelo. 
gerens  iniqua." — Dcclam.  n.  24. 

2  "  Noluit  intelligere,  ut  bene  ageret." — Ps.  xxxv.  4. 

3  "  Scienter  eligitur." — i.  2,  q.  78,  a.  i. 

4  "  Omne  peccatum  ex  malitia  est  contra  Spiritum  Sanctum." — D, 
Malo,  q.  3,  a.  14. 

5  "  Non   remittetur   ei,    neque    in   hoc    saeculo,  neque  in  futuro." — 
Matth.  xii.  32. 

6  "  Pater,  dimitte  illis;  non  enim  sciiint  quidfaciunt." — Zw/k',xxiii.  34. 

7  "  Sciunt  quid  faciunt." 

8  "  Quomodo  obscuratum  est  aurum,  mutatus  est  color  optimus  !" 


CHAP,  iv.]       Gravity  of  Sin  in  a  Priest.  73 

other  sinners."  St.  John  Chrysostom  says  that  the 
Lord  is  not  so  much  enraged  against  any  sinner  as 
against  him  who,  while  he  shines  with  the  splendor  of 
the  sacerdotal  dignity,  insults  the  divine  majesty.1 
The  malice  of  the  sins  of  a  priest  is  increased  by  his  in 
gratitude  to  God,  by  whom  he  has  been  so  highly  ex 
alted.  St.  Thomas  teaches  that  the  grievousness  of  sin 
increases  in  proportion  to  the  ingratitude  of  the  sinner. 
"We  ourselves,"  says  St.  Basil,  "are  not  so  indignant  at 
any  offence  as  at  that  which  we  receive  from  a  friend 
and  familiar  acquaintance."5  For  this  reason  priests 
are  called  by  St.  Cyril  the  most  intimate  friends  of  God.3 
What  greater  exaltation  can  God  give  to  a  man  than  by 
raising  him  to  the  dignity  of  his  own  priest  ?  "  Enume 
rate  all  the  honors,  all  the  dignities,"  says  St.  Ephrem; 
"the  priest  surpasses  them  all."4  What  greater  honor, 
what  more  exalted  rank,  could  God  confer  upon  him 
than  that  of  being  his  own  representative,  his  coadjutor, 
the  sanctifier  of  souls,  and  the  dispenser  of  his  sacra 
ments  ?  Priests  are  called  by  St.  Prosper  "  Dispensers 
in  the  royal  house."  '  The  Lord  has  chosen  the  priest 
from  among  so  many  men  for  his  own  minister  to  offer 
to  him  in  sacrifice  his  own  very  Son.  He  chose  him,  says 
the  Holy  Ghost,  out  of  all  men  living  to  offer  sacrifice  to 
God?  He  has  given  him  power  over  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ,  he  has  placed  in  his  hands  the  keys  of  paradise, 
he  has  raised  him  above  all  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and 
above  all  the  angels  in  heaven;  in  a  word,  he  has  made 

1  "  Nulla  re  Deus  magis  offenditur,  quam  quando  peccatores  Sacer- 
dotii  dignitate  praefulgent." — In  Matth.  horn.  41. 

2  "  Naturaliter  magis  indignamur  his  qui  nobis  familiarissimi  sunt, 
cum  in  nos  peccaverint." — G fossa,  in  I  Pet.  iv, 

3  "Dei  intimi  familiares." 

4  "  Enumera  honores,  dignitates;  omnium  apex  est  Sacerdos." 
b  "  Dispensatores  regiae  domus.'' 

6  "  Ipsum  elegit  ab  omni  vivente,  offerre  sacrificium  Deo/' — Ecclus. 
xlv.  20. 


74  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

him,  as  it  were,  a  God  on  earth:  "  A  God  on  earth."1 
What  is  tJiere  that  I  ought  to  do  more  to  my  vineyard 
that  I  have  not  done?*  (Here  God  appears  to  speak 
only  of  priests.)  How  horrible,  then,  the  ingratitude  of 
the  priest  whom  God  has  loved  so  tenderly,  and  who 
insults  the  Lord  in  his  own  very  house  ?  What  is  the 
meaning,  says  Jeremias,  that  my  beloved  hath  wrought  much 
wickedness  in  my  house  ? 3  Hence  St.  Gregory  weeps  and 
says,  "  Alas  !  my  Lord  God,  those  that  should  govern 
Thy  Church  persecute  you  more  than  the  rest."4 

It  appears,  also,  that  it  was  of  bad  priests  that  God 
complained  when  he  called  on  heaven  and  earth  to  wit 
ness  the  ingratitude  with  which  he  was  treated  by  his 
own  children.  Hear,  O  ye  heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth. 
.  .  .  I  have  brought  up  children  and  exalted  them,  but  they 
have  despised  me*  And  who  are  these  children  but 
priests  who,  after  being  raised  by  God  to  such  an  eleva 
tion,  and  nourished  at  his  table  with  his  owrn  flesh,  dare 
to  despise  his  love  and  his  grace  ?  Of  this  he  also  com 
plained  by  the  mouth  of  David:  If  my  enemy  had  reviled 
me  I  would  verily  have  borne  it.*  Were  my  enemy,  were 
an  idolater,  a  heretic,  or  a  worldling  to  offend  me,  I 
would  bear  with  him,  but  how  can  T  bear  to  see  myself 
insulted  by  you,  my  priest,  who  are  my  friend  and 
fellow-guest  ?  But  thou,  a  man  of  one  mind,  my  guide  and 

1  "  Deus  terrenus." 

2  "Quid  est  quod  debui  ultra  facere  vineae  meae,  et  non  feci  ?" — Is. 
v.  4. 

3  "Quid  est,  quod  dilectus  meus,  in  domo  mea,  fecit  scelera  multa  ?'' 
—Jer.  xi.  15. 

4  "  Heu,  Domine  Deus,  quia  ipsi  sunt  in  persecuticne  tua  primi,  qui 
videntur  in  Ecclesia  tua gerere  principatum." — In  Convers.  S,  Pauli,  s.  I. 

6  ''Audite,  creli,  et  auribus  percipe,  terra.  .  .  .  filios  enutrivi  et 
exaltavi;  ipsi  autem  spreverunt  me." — Is.  i.  2, 

6  "Si  inimicus  maledixjsset  mihi,  sustinuissem  utique,  .  ,  .  tu  vero, 
homo  unanimis,  dux  meus  et  notus  meus,  qui  simul  mecum  dukes 
capiebas  cibos  '"— Ps.  liv.  13. 


CHAP,  iv.]     Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest.       75 

my  familiar,  who  didst  take  sweetmeats  together  with  me. 
The  Prophet  Jeremias  weeps  and  exclaims:  They  that 
were  fed  delicately,  .  .  .  they  that  were  brought  lip  in  scarlet, 
have  embraced  the  dung.1  Oh  !  what  a  misery,  what  a 
horrible  thing,  to  see  the  man  that  fed  on  celestial  food 
and  was  clad  in  purple  wearing  the  sordid  garment  of 
sin,  and  feeding  on  filth  and  dung !  By  the  word 
croceis  the  interpreters  (resting  on  the  Hebrew  text  that 
were  brought  up  in  scarlet*}  understand  the  purple;  and 
priests  are  said  to  be  honored  with  the  purple  on  account 
of  their  regal  dignity:  You  are  a  chosen  nation,  a  kingly 
priesthood? 

II. 

Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest. 

But  let  us  now  see  the  chastisement  that  awaits  the 
sinful  priest — a  chastisement  proportioned  to  the  griev- 
ousness  of  his  sin.  According  to  the  measure  of  the  sin 
shall  the  measure  also  of  the  stripes  be*  St.  John  Chrysostom 
gives  up  as  lost  the  priest  that  commits  a  single  mortal 
sin  after  his  elevation  to  the  priesthood.5  Terrible  in 
deed  are  the  threats  that  the  Lord  has  pronounced,  by 
the  mouth  of  Jeremias,  against  priests  who  fall  into  sin. 
For  the  prophet  and  the  priest  are  dejiled,  and  in  my  house  I 
have  found  their  wickedness,  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore, 
their  way  shall  be  as  the  slippery  way  in  the  dark  ;  for  they 
err  and  fall  therein!'  What  hope  of  life  would  you  give 
to  him  who,  without  light  to  guide  his  steps,  should 

1  "  Qui   vescebantur  voluptuose,   .   .   .  qui    nutriebantur   in    croceis, 
amplexati  sunt  stercora  !" — Lam.  iv.  5. 

2  "  Qui  in  purpura  educati  fuerunt." 

3  "  Vos  autem  genus  electum,  regale  Sacerdotium." — i  Pet.  ii.  9. 

4  "  Pro  mensura  peccati  erit  et  plagarum  modus." — Deiit.  xxv.  2. 

5  "Si  privatim  pecces,  nihil  tale  passurus  es;  si  in  Sacerdotio  peccas, 
periisti." — In  Act.  Ap.  horn.  3. 

6  "  Propheta  namque  et  Sacerdos  polluti  sunt,  et  in  domo  mea  inveni 
malum  eorum,  ait  Dominus.     Idcirco  via  eorum  erit  quasi  lubricum  in 
tenebris;  impellentur  enim,  et  corruent  in  ea." — -Jer.  xxiii.  n. 


76  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

walk  on  a  slippery  way  along  the  brink  of  a  precipice, 
and  who  should  from  time  to  time  be  violently  assailed 
by  enemies  endeavoring  to  cast  him  down  the  precipice  ? 
This  is  the  miserable  state  into  which  a  priest  who  com 
mits  mortal  sin  has  brought  himself. 

The  slippery  way  in  the  dark.  By  sin  the  priest  loses 
light  and  becomes  blind.  //  had  been  better  for  them  not 
to  have  known  the  way  of  justice ',  than  after  they  had  known 
it,  to  turn  back.1  How  much  better  would  it  be  for  the 
priest  that  falls  into  sin  to  have  been  a  poor  uninstructed 
peasant,  who  had  never  known  the  law!  For,  after  so 
much  knowledge  learned  from  books,  from  sermons, 
from  directors,  and  after  so  many  illuminations  received 
from  God,  the  miserable  man,  by  yielding  to  sin  and 
trampling  under  foot  all  the  graces  that  God  had  be 
stowed  upon  him,  shall  make  all  the  lights  received 
serve  to  increase  his  blindness,  and  to  keep  him  in  the 
state  of  perdition.  "  Greater  knowledge  is  followed  by 
greater  punishment,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom.2  And 
the  saint  adds:  "  The  sin  to  which  the  priest  consents 
may  be  committed  by  many  seculars,  but  his  chastise 
ment  shall  be  far  more  severe,  because  his  blindness 
shall  be  far  greater  than  theirs."  -He  shall  receive  the 
punishment  threatened  by  the  Prophet:  That  seeing  they 
may  not  see,  and  hearing  may  not  understand? 

"And  this,"  says  the  same  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "we 
know  from  experience  that  a  secular  after  committing 
sin  is  easily  induced  to  do  penance."'  A  secular  who 
falls  into  sin,  if  he  attends  a  mission,  or  is  present  at  a 
sermon  in  which  he  hears  some  eternal  truth  regarding 

1  "  Melius  erat  illis  non  cognoscere  viam  justitiae,  quam,  post  agnitio- 
nem,  retrorsum  converti." — "2  Pet.  ii.  21. 

2  "  Major  scientia  majoris  posna^  fit  materia.     Propterea  Sacerdos,  si 
eadem  cum  subditis  peccata  committit,  non  eadem,  sed  multa  acerbiora 
patietur." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  77. 

3  "  Ut  videntes  non  videant,  et  audientes  non  intelligant." — Luke,  viii. 
10;  Isa.  vi,  9. 

4  "  Saecularis  homo,  post  peccalum,  facile  ad  poenitentiam  venit." 


CHAP,  iv.]    Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest.      77 

the  malice  of  sin,  the  certainty  of  death,  the  rigor  of  the 
divine  judgment,  or  the  pains  of  hell,  easily  enters  into 
himself  and  returns  to  God;  "because/'  says  the  saint, 
"  these  truths  are  new  to  him,  and  fill  him  with  terror."  * 
But  what  impression  can  the  eternal  truths  and  the 
menaces  of  the  holy  Scriptures  make  on  a  priest  that 
has  trampled  on  the  grace  of  God,  and  on  all  the  lights 
and  knowledge  that  he  has  received  ?  "  All  that  is  con 
tained  in  Scripture,"  continues  the  holy  Doctor,  "  appears 
to  him  as  something  obsolete  and  worthless,  for  every 
thing  terrible  has  by  use  lost  its  power."5  Hence  he 
concludes  that  there  is  nothing  more  impossible  than  to 
reform  a  person  who  sins  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of 
the  law.3 

"Great  indeed,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "is  the  dignity 
of  priests,  but  great  also  is  their  perdition,  if  in  the 
priesthood  they  turn  their  back  on  God."4  "The 
greater  the  height,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "to  which  God 
has  raised  them,  the  more  precipitous  and  ruinous  shall 
be  their  fall." '  He  that  falls  on  level  ground  is  seldom 
severely  hurt,  but  the  man  that  falls  from  a  great  height 
is  said  not  to  fall,  but  to  be  precipitated,  and  therefore 
his  fall  is  mortal.  "  As  when  we  fall  on  a  plain,  we  do 
ourselves  rarely  any  harm,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  so  when 
we  fall  from  a  height,  we  not  only  fall,  but  are  precipi 
tated,  and  the  fall  becomes  more  dangerous." 6  "  Let  us 

1  "  Quia,  quasi  novum  aliquid  audiens,  expavescit." 

2  "  Omnia  enim  quae  sunt  in  Scripturis  ante  oculos  ejus  inveterata  et 
vilia  sestimantur;  nam  quidquid  illic  terrible  est,  usu  vilescit." 

:!  "  Nihil  autem  impossibilius,  quam  ilium  corrigere  qui  omnia  scit." 
— Horn.  40. 

4  "  Grandis  dignitas  Sacerdotum;  sed  grandis  ruina  eorum,  si  peccant." 
—  In  Ezech.  xliv. 

5  "  Ab  altiori  gradu  fit  casus  gravior." — Declam.  n.  25. 

6  "  Ut   levius  est  de  piano  corruere,  sic  gravius  est  qui  de  sublimi  ce- 
ciderit  dignitate;  quia  ruina  quse  de  alto  est,  graviori  casu  colliditur." 
— De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  3. 


78  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

who  are  priests,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  rejoice  at  our  ele 
vation  to  so  great  a  height,  but  let  our  fear  of  falling 
be  proportioned  to  our  exaltation."  It  is  to  the  priest 
that  the  Lord  appears  to  speak  by  the  Prophet  Ezechiel, 
when  he  says,  /  set  thee  on  the  holy  mountain  of  God,  and 
thou  hast  sinned;  and  I  cast  thee  out  from  the  mountain  of 
God  and  destroyed  thee?  O  priests  !  says  the  Lord,  I  have 
placed  you  on  my  holy  mountain,  and  have  made  you 
the  luminaries  of  the  world:  You  are  the  light  of  the 
world.  A  city  seated  on  a  mountain  cannot  be  hid?  Justly, 
then,  has  St.  Laurence  Justinian  said  that  the  greater 
the  grace  that  God  has  bestowed  on  priests,  the  more 
severe  the  chastisement  that  their  sins  deserve;  and  the 
more  elevated  the  state  to  which  he  has  raised  them,  the 
more  disastrous  shall  be  their  fall.4  He  that  falls  into 
a  river  sinks  deeper  in  proportion  to  the  height  from 
which  he  has  fallen,5  says  Peter  de  Blois.  Beloved 
priest,  remember  that  in  elevating  you  to  the  sacerdotal 
state  God  has  raised  you  up  to  heaven,  by  making  you 
a  man  no  longer  earthly,  but  altogether  celestial:  If  you 
sin,  you  fall  from  heaven.  Consider,  then,  how  ruinous 
and  destructive  shall  be  your  fall.  "  What  is  higher 
than  heaven  ?"  says  St.  Peter  Chrysologus;  "  he  therefore 
falls  from  heaven  that  mingles  sin  with  heavenly  func 
tions."0  Your  fall,  according  to  St.  Bernard,  shall  be 
like  that  of  a  thunderbolt,  which  rushes  headlong  with 
vehement  impetuosity.7  That  is,  your  destruction  is 

1  ' '  Laetemur  ad  ascensum,  sed  timeamus  ad  lapsum." — In  Ezech.  xliv. 

2  "  Posui  te   in  monte  sancto   Dei,   .   ,   .  et  peccasti;  et  ejeci  te  de 
monte  Dei,  et  perdidi  te." — Ezech,  xxviii.  14. 

3  ' '  Vos  estis  lux  mundi.     Non  potest  civitas  abscondi,  supra  montem 
posita." — Matt.  v.  14. 

4  "  Quo  est  gratia  cumulatior,  et  status  sublimior,  eo  casus  est  gravior, 
et  damnabilior  culpa. " — De  Compunct.  p.  I. 

6  "  Altius  mergitur,  qui  de  alto  cadit." 

6  "  Quid  altius  coelo?     De  coelo  cadit,  in  coelestibus  qui  delinquit." — 
Serm.  26. 

1 ' '  Tanquam  fulgur  in  impetu  vehement!  dejicieris." — Dedam^  n..  2£ 


CHAP,  iv.]    Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest.       79 

irreparable.1  In  your  unhappy  soul  is  verified  the  threat 
of  the  Lord  against  Capharnaum:  And  thou,  Capharnaum, 
which  art  exalted  unto  heaven,  thou  shalt  be  thrust  down  to 
hell? 

Such  the  chastisement  that  the  priest  that  falls  into 
sin  merits  on  account  of  his  infinite  ingratitude  to  God. 
He  owes  more  gratitude  to  God  than  others,  because  he 
has  received  greater  favors,  says  St.  Gregory.3  The  un 
grateful,  as  a  learned  author  says,  deserve  to  be  deprived 
of  all  the  favors  that  they  have  received.4  Jesus  Christ 
has  said :  To  every  one  that  hath,  shall  be  given,  and  he  shall 
abound;  but  from  him  that  hath  not,  that  also  which  he 
seemeth  to  have  shall  be  taken  away?  Upon  those  that  are 
grateful  to  God  he  shall  pour  his  graces  more  abundant 
ly;  but  the  priest  who  after  so  many  lights  and  so  many 
Communions  turns  his  back  on  God,  despises  all  his 
favors,  and  renounces  his  grace,  shall  be  justly  deprived 
of  all.  The  Lord  is  liberal  to  all,  but  not  to  the  un 
grateful.  "Ingratitude,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "dries  up 
the  sources  of  divine  favors."  ( 

Hence  St.  Jerome  justly  says,  "There  is  not  in  the 
whole  world  a  monster  to  be  compared  with  a  priest  in 
the  state  of  sin,  for  the  unfortunate  man  will  not  bear 
with  correction."7  And  St.  John  Chrysostom,  or  the 
author  of  the  "Imperfect  Work,"  writes:  "When  lay 
persons  sin,  they  easily  amend.  As  for  priests,  once 

1  "  Corruent  in  ea." — Jcr.  xxiii.  12. 

2  "  Et  tu,  Capharnaum,  usque  ad  coelum  exaltata,  usque  ad  infernum 
demergeris. " — Luke,  x.  15. 

3  "  Cum  enim  augentur  dona,  rationes  etiam  crescunt  donorum." — In 
Evang.  horn.  9. 

4  "  Ingratus  meretur  beneficii  subtractionem." 

"  Omni  enim  habenti  dabitur,  et  abundabit;  ei  awtem  qui  non  habet, 
et  quod  videtur  habere,  auferetur  ab  eo." — Matt.  xxv.  29. 

6  "  Ingratitude  exsiccat  fontem  divinae  pietatis." — In  Cant.  s.  51. 

7  "  Nulla  certe  in  mundo  tarn  crudelis  bestia,  quam  mains  Sacerdos; 
nam  corrigi  non  patitur." — Eusebius,  Ep.  ad  Dam.  de  morte  Hier.. 


So  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

bad,  they  are  incorrigible."  '  To  priests  that  fall  into 
sin,  we  may,  with  St.  Peter  Damian,2  apply  in  a  special 
manner  the  words  of  the  Apostle:  //  is  impossible  for  those 
that  were  once  illuminated,  have  tasted  also  the  heavenly  gift, 
and  were  made,  partakers  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  are  fallen 
away,  to  be  renewed  again  to  penance?  Who  has  been  more 
enlightened  than  the  priest?  Who  has  tasted  more  fre 
quently  the  heavenly  gifts,  and  partaken  more  abundant 
ly  of  the  Holy  Ghost?  St.  Thomas  says  that  the  rebel 
angels  remained  obstinate  in  sin,  because  they  sinned  in 
view  of  the  light;  and  St.  Bernard  writes  that  God  shall 
treat  the  sinful  priest  in  a  similar  manner,  that  is,  "  the 
priest  having  become  an  angel  of  the  Lord,  must  expect 
either  the  reward  or  the  reprobation  of  an  angel."  "  Our 
Lord  said  to  St.  Bridget:  "  I  see  on  earth  pagans  and 
Jews,  but  I  see  none  so  wicked  as  priests;  they  are  guilty 
of  the  same  sin  that  Lucifer  committed."5  And  let  it 
be  observed  in  this  place,  that,  according  to  Innocent 
III.,  many  things  are  venial  sins  in  seculars  that  are 
mortal  in  ecclesiastics." 

To  priests  we  may  also  apply  what  St.  Paul  says  in 
another  place:  The  earth  that  drinketh  in  the  rain  which 
cometh  often  upon  it,  ....  and  bringeth  forth  thorns  and 
briers,  is  reprobate  and  very  near  unto  a  curse,  whose  end  is 

1  "Laid  delinquentes  facile  emendantur;  clerici,  si  mali  fuerint,  ine- 
mendabiles  sunt." — Horn.  43. 

2  Epist.  1.  4,  ef.  3- 

3  "  Impossible  est  enim,  eos,  qui  semel  sunt  illuminati,  gustaverunt 
etiam  donum  coeleste,  et  participes  facti  sunt  Spiritus  Sancti,   .   .   .  et 
prolapsi  sunt,  rursus  renovari  ad  poenitentiam." — Heb.  vi.  4. 

4  "  Angelus  Domini  factus  est;  tanquam  angelus,  aut  eligitur,  aut  re- 
probatur." — Declam.  n.  24. 

5  "  Ego  conspicio  paganos  et   Judaeos;    sed  nullos  video  deteriores 
quam  Sacerdotes:  ipsi  sunt  in  eodem  peccato  quo  cecidit  Lucifer. "- 
Rev.  1.  i,  c.  47. 

6  "  Multa  sunt  laicis  venialia,  quae  clericis  sunt  mortalia." — In  Consecr, 
Pont.  s.  i. 


CHAP,  iv.]    Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest.      8 1 

to  be  burnt.1  What  showers  of  grace  has  the  priest  con 
tinually  received  from  God  !  And,  after  all,  he  brings 
forth  briers  and  thorns  instead  of  fruit.  Miserable 
man  !  he  is  on  the  point  of  being  reprobated,  of  receiv 
ing  the  final  malediction,  and  of  being  sent  in  the  end, 
after  so  many  favors  from  God,  to  burn  forever  in  the 
fire  of  hell.  But  what  dread  has  the  priest  that  turns 
his  back  on  God  of  the  fire  of  hell  ?  Priests  who  fall 
into  sin  lose  light,  and  lose  also  the  fear  of  God.  Be 
hold,  the  Lord  himself  assures  us  of  this.  If  I  be  a 
master,  where  is  My  fear,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  to  you, 
O  Priests,  that  despise  My  name  ? 2  St.  Bernard  says  that 
priests  falling  from  on  high  remain  so  immersed  in  their 
malice,  that  they  forget  God,  and  disregard  the  divine 
threats  to  such  a  degree  that  the  danger  of  their  dam 
nation  has  no  longer  any  terror  for  them.3 

But  why  should  that  excite  our  wonder,  since  by  com 
mitting  sin  the  priest  falls  from  an  immense  height  into 
a  deep  pit,  in  which  he  is  bereft  of  light,  and  therefore 
despises  all  things;  verifying  in  himself  the  words  of 
the  Wise  Man:  The  wicked  man  when  he  is  come  into  the 
depth  of  sins,  contemncth?  The  wicked  man:  this  wicked 
man  is  the  priest  that  sins  through  malice:  into  the 
depth;  by  a  single  mortal  sin,  the  priest  sinks  to-  the 
depth  of  misery  and  remains  in  blindness;  contemneth; 
and  thus  he  despises  chastisements,  admonitions,  the 
presence  of  Jesus  Christ  who  is  near  him  on  the  altar: 

1  "  Terra  enim  saepe  venientem  super  se  bibens  imbrem,   .   .   .    profer 
ens  autem  spinas  ac  tribulos,  reproba  est,  et  maledicto  proxiina:  cujus 
consummatio  in  combustionem." — Hcb.  vi.  n. 

2  "  Si  Dominus  ego  sum,  ubi  est  timor  meus?  dicit  Dominus  exerci- 
tuum  ad  vos,  o  Sacerdotes,  quid  despicitis  nomen  meum  !" — Mai.  i.  6. 

3  "  Alto  quippe  demersi  oblivionis  somno,  ad  nullum  Dominican  com- 
minationis  tonitruum  expergiscuntur,  ut  suum  periculum  expavescant." 
In  Cant.  s.  77. 

4  "  Impius,  cum    in    profundum   venerit    peccatorum,  contemnit."- 
Prov,  xviii.  3. 


82  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

he  despises  all,  and  blushes  not  to  surpass  in  malice 
Judas,  the  betrayer  of  Jesus  Christ.  Of  this  our  Lord 
complained  to  St.  Bridget:  "  Such  priests  are  not  my 
priests,  but  they  are  real  traitors."  '  Yes,  real  traitors, 
who  avail  themselves  of  the  celebration  of  Mass  to  out 
rage  Jesus  Christ  by  sacrilege. 

But  what  shall  be  the  unhappy  end  of  such  priests? 
Behold  it:  /;/  the  land  of  the  saints  he  hath  done  wicked 
things,  and  he  shall  not  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord?  The  end 
shall  be,  first,  abandonment  of  God,  and  then  the  fire  of 
hell.  But,  Father,  some  may  say,  this  language  is  too 
terrific.  Do  you,  they  ask,  wish  to  drive  us  to  despair? 
I  answer  with  St.  Augustine,  "  being  myself  frightened, 
I  frighten  others."1  Then  a  priest  who  has  offended 
God  since  his  ordination  may  ask,  Is  there  no  hope  of 
pardon  for  me?  Yes,  there  is  hope,  if  he  repents  and. 
entertains  a  horror  for  the  evil  he  has  done.  Let  such 
a  priest,  then,  thank  the  Lord  with  his  whole  heart  if 
he,  too,  finds  himself  aided  by  divine  grace;  but  he  must 
instantly  give  himself  to  that  God  who  calls  him.  "  Let 
us  listen  to  the  Lord,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "while  he  is 
calling  us,  lest  he  may  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  us  when  he 
judges  us."4 

III. 
Exhortation. 

From  this  day  forward,  let  us,  dearly  beloved  priests, 
learn  to  esteem  our  noble  elevation,  and  regarding  our- 

1  "  Tales  Sacerdotes  non  sunt  mei  Sacerdotes,  sed  veri  proditores."- 
Rev.  1.  i,  c.  47. 

2  "  In  terra  sanctorum  iniqua  gessit,  et  non  videbit  gloriam  Domini." 
— Isa.  xxv i.  10. 

3  "  Territus,  terreo." — Serni.  40,  E.  B. 

4  "  Audiamus  ilium,  dum  rcgat,  ne  nos  postea  non  audiat,  dum  judi- 
cat." — Scrm.  29,  E.  B.  app. 


CHAP,  iv.]    Chastisement  of 'the  Sinful  Priest.       83 

selves  as  ministers  of  a  God,  let  us  blush  to  become  the 
slaves  of  sin  and  of  the  devil,  says  St.  Peter  Damian.1 

Let  us  not  imitate  the  folly  of  seculars  that  think  only 
of  the  present.  //  is  appointed  unto  men  once  to  die,  and 
after  this  the  judgment?  We  must  all  appear  at  this 
judgment:  We  must  all  be  manifested  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,  that  every  one  may  receive  the  proper  things  of 
the  body,  according  as  he  hath  done?  To  each  of  us  the 
Judge  shall  say:  Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship?  That 
is,  of  your  priesthood;  how  have  you  exercised  it?  for 
what  end  have  you  exercised  it  ?  Dearly  beloved  priest, 
were  you  now  to  be  judged,  would  you  feel  satisfied  and 
content  with  the  manner  in  which  you  have  discharged 
your  ministry?  Or  would  you  not  say:  When  he  shall 
examine,  what  shall  I  answer  him  ? 5  When  the  Lord 
chastises  a  people,  the  chastisement  begins  with  the 
priest,  for  he  is  the  cause  of  the  sins  of  the  people, 
either  by  his  bad  example,  or  by  his  negligence  in  at 
tending  to  their  sanctification.  Hence  the  Lord  says, 
The  time  is  that  judgment  should  begin  at  the  house  of  God? 
In  the  slaughter  described  by  Ezechiel,  God  wished  the 
priests  to  be  the  first  victims  of  his  vengeance:  Begin  ye 
at  my  sanctuary?  That  is,  says  Origen,  "  with  the  priests." 
A  most  severe  judgment,  says  the  Wise  Man,  for  them  that 
bear  rule?  And  unto  whom,  says  Jesus  Christ,  nmch  is 

1  ' '  Nobilem  necesse  est  esse  Sacerdotem,  ut,  qui  minister  est  Domini, 
erubescat  se  servum  esse  peccati." — Ofusc.  25,  c.  2. 

2  "  Statutum  est  hominibus  semel  mori;  post  hoc  autem,  judicium.*' 
— Heb.  ix.  27. 

3  "  Omnes  nos  enim  manifestari  oportet  ante  tribunal  Christi,  ut  re- 
ferat  unusquisque  propria  corporis,  prout  gessit." — 2  Cor.  v.  10. 

4  "  Redde  rationem  vilicationis  tuae." — Luke,  xvi.  2, 

5  "Cum  quaesierit,  quid  respondebo  illi?" — Job,  xxxi.  14. 

6  "Tempus  est  ut  incipiat  judicium  a  domo  Dei." — I  Pet.  iv.  17. 

7  "  A  sanctuario  meo  incipite." — Ezech.  ix.  6. 

*  "Judicium  durissimum,  his  qui  praesunt,  fiet." — Wisd.  vi.  6. 


84  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

given,  of  him  much  shall  be  required.1  The  author  of  the 
"Imperfect  Work"  says,  "On  the  day  of  judgment  the 
secular  will  receive  the  priestly  stole,  but  the  sinful 
priest  will  be  deprived  of  the  priestly  dignity,  and 
ranked  among  infidels  and  hypocrites."2  Hear  ye  this, 
O  priests!  says  the  Prophet  Osee,  .  .  .  for  there  is  judg 
ment  against  you? 

And  as  the  judgment  of  priests  is  most  rigorous,  so 
also  shall  their  damnation  be  most  miserable.  With  a 
double  destruction  destroy  them,  says  Jeremias.4  A  Council 
of  Paris  repeats  these  words  of  St.  Jerome,  already 
cited:  "  Great  is  the  dignity  of  priests,  but  if  they  hap 
pen  to  fall  into  sin,  very  great  will  also  be  their  ruin."  ! 
And  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  "  If  a  priest  were  to 
commit  only  the  sins  of  which  the  simple  faithful  be 
come  guilty,  he  would  incur  not  a  similar  but  a  more 
rigorous  chastisement."  f  It  was  revealed  to  St.  Bridget 
that  priests  who  are  sinners  "  will  find  themselves  deeper 
in  hell  than  all  the  other  damned."  Oh!  how  great 
the  rejoicing  of  the  devils  when  a  priest  enters  hell  ?  All 
hell  is  in  confusion  to  meet  the  priest  who  comes.  Hell 
below,  says  Isaias,  was  in  an  uproar  to  meet  thee  at  thy 
coming.  .  ,  .  All  the  princes  of  the  earth  have  risen  from 

1  "  Omni  autem  cui  multum  datum  est,  multum  quaeretur  ab  eo." — 
Luke,  xii.  48. 

2  "  Laicus,  in  die  judicii,  stolam  sacerdotalem  accipiet;  Sacerdos  autem 
peccator  spoliabitur*  dignitate,  et  erit  inter  infideles  et  hypocritas." — 
Horn.  40. 

3  "  Audite  hoc,  Sacerdotes:  .   .   .  quia  vobis  judicitim  est." — Osee,  v.  i. 

4  "  Duplici  contritione  contere  eos." — Jer.  xvii.  18. 

5  "  Grandis  dignitas  Sacredotum,  sed  grandis  ruina,  si  peccant." — In 
Ezcch.  xliv. 

6  "Sacerdos,  si  eadem  cum   subditis  peccata  committit,  non  eadem, 
sed  multo  acerbiora  patietur." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  77. 

7  "  Prae  omnibus  diabolis,  profundius  submergentur  in  infernum." — 
Rev.  1.  4,  c.  135. 


CHAP,  iv.]    Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest.      85 

their  thrones.  All  Lhe  princes  of  that  land  of  woe  rise  up 
to  give  the  first  place  of  torment  to  the  damned  priest. 
All,  continues  the  prophet,  shall  answer  and  say  to  thee : 
Thou  also  art  wounded  as  well  as  we,  thou  art  become  like 
unfo  tts.1  O  priest,  you  once  ruled  over  us,  you  have  so 
often  made  the  Incarnate  Word  descend  on  the  altars, 
you  have  delivered  so  many  souls  from  hell,  and  now 
you  have  become  like  us,  miserable  and  tormented  as  we 
are:  Thy  pride  is  brought  to  hell.  Your  pride,  by  which 
you  have  despised  God  and  your  neighbor,  has  in  the 
end  brought  you  to  this  land  of  misery,  Thy  carcass  is 
fallen  down  :  under  thee  shall  the  moth  be  strewed,  and 
worms  shall  be  thy  covering?1  As  a  king  you  shall  have  a 
royal  couch  and  a  purple  robe:  behold,  fire  and  worms 
shall  forever  corrode  your  body  and  your  soul.  Oh! 
how  shall  the  devils  then  scoff  at  all  the  Masses,  sacra 
ments,  and  sacred  functions  of  the  damned  priest!  And 
have  mocked  at  her  sabbaths? 

Be  attentive,  dearly  beloved  priests,  for  the  devils 
tempt  one  priest  more  than  a  hundred  seculars;  because 
a  priest  that  is  lost  brings  with  him  many  seculars  to 
hell.  St.  Chrysostom  says,  "  To  take  away  the  shep 
herds  is  to  scatter  the  flocks."4  In  a  work  that  is  found 
among  the  works  of  St.  Cyprian  we  read  this  very  just 
remark:  "In  war,  the  combatants  endeavor  first  of  all 
to  kill  the  enemy's  commanders."  5  St.  Jerome  adds: 

1  "  Infernus  subter  conturbatus  est  in    occursum  adventus  tui.   .   .   . 
Omnes   principes    terrae  surrexerunt  de    soliis  suis.   .   .   .   Universi  re- 
spondebunt,  et   dicent  tibi:  Et   tu  vulneratus   es  sicut   et  nos,  nostri 
similis  effectus  es." — Isa.  xiv.  9,  10. 

2  "  Detracta  est  ad  inferos  superbia  tua,  concidit  cadaver  tuutn;  sub 
ter  te  sternetur  tinea,  et  operimentum  tuum  erunt  vermes." — Ibid.  u. 

3  "  Et  deriserunt  sabbata  ejus."— Lam.  i.  7. 

"  Qui  pastorem  de  medio  tulerit,  totum  gregem  dissipat." — In  r 
Tim.  horn.  I. 

"Plus  duces,  quam  milites,  appetuntur  in  pugna." — Inter  op.  S. 
Cypr.  De  SinguL  cler. 


86  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

"  The  devil  does  not  go  in  search  of  infidels  and  those 
that  are  outside"  (that  is,  who  are  outside  of  the  sanc 
tuary);  u  he  looks  for  booty  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  for 
according  to  Habacuc  they  are  his  choice  food."1  To 
the  devils,  the  souls  of  ecclesiastics  are  the  most  de 
licious  food. 

[What  follows  may  serve  to  supply  motives  of  com 
punction  in  the  act  of  contrition.] 

Dearly  beloved  priests,  the  Lord  appears  to  say  to 
you  what  he  said  to  the  Jewish  people: 

What  have  I  done  to  thee  ?  Or  in  what  have  I  grieved 
thee  ?  Answer  me  ?  Tell  me,  what  evil  have  I  done  you: 
have  I  not,  on  the  contrary,  bestowed  many  favors  upon 
you  ? 

/  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  I  have  drawn 
you  out  of  the  world,  I  have  selected  you  from  among 
so  many  seculars,  to  make  you  my  priest,  my  minister, 
my  familiar:  thou  hast^prepared  a  cross  for  thy  Saviour  : 
and  you,  for  a  miserable  interest,  for  a  vile  pleasure, 
have  again  nailed  me  to  the  cross. 

I  fed  thee  with  manna  in  the  desert :  in  the  wilderness 
of  this  earth  I  have  fed  you  every  morning  with  the 
celestial  manna,  that  is,  with  my  divine  flesh,  and  with 
my  blood :  and  thou  hast  beaten  me  with  buffets  and  stripes. 

What  more  should  I  have  done  to  thee,  and  have  not  done  ? 
I  have  planted  thee  for  my  most  beautiful  vineyard;  and 
thou  hast  proved  very  bitter  to  me.  I  have  destined  you 
for  the  vineyard  of  my  delight,  planting  in  you  so 
many  lights  and  so  many  graces,  that  they  might  pro 
duce  sweet  and  precious  fruits;  and  you  have  given  me 
only  fruits  of  bitterness. 

I  gave  thee  the  royal  sceptre.  I  have  made  you  a  king, 
and  have  exalted  you  above  all  the  kings  of  the  earth: 

1  "  Non  quaerit  diabolus  homines  infideles,  non  eos  qui  foris  sunt;  de 
Ecclesia  Christi  rapere  festinat;  escae  ejus,  secundum  Habacuc,  electae 
sunt." — Ep.  ad  Eustoch. 


CHAP,  iv.]     Chastisement  of  the  Sinful  Priest,       87 

and  thou   hast  given    me   a  crown  of  thorns,  by  the    bad 
thoughts  to  which  you  have  consented. 

/  raised  thee  on  high.  I  have  raised  you  to  the  dignity  of 
my  representative,  and  have  given  you  the  keys  of  heaven ; 
I  have,  in  fine,  made  you,  as  it  were,  a  God  on  earth: 
And  thou  hast  hanged  me  on  the  gibbet  of  the  cross,1  and  you 
have  despised  all  my  graces,  my  friendship,  nailing  me 
again  to  the  cross,  etc. 

1  "  Quid  feci  tibi,  aut  in  quo  contristavi  te?  responde  mihi. 

Eduxi  te  de  terra  ^Egypti:  et  tu  parasti  crucem  Salvatori  tuo. 
Ego  te  pavi  manna  per  desertum:   et   tu  me  cecidisti  alapis  et 

flagellis. 
Quid  ultra  debui  facere  tibi,  et  non  feci  ?     Ego  plantavi  te  vineam 

speciosissimam:  et  tu  facta  es  mihi  nimis  amara. 
Ego  dedi  tibi  sceptrum  regale:  et  tu  dedisti  capiti  meo  spineam 

coronam. 
Ego  te  exaltavi:  et  tu  me  suspendisti  in  patibulo  crucis." — Im- 

properia,  sung  on  Good  Friday. 


88  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    INJURY    THAT    TEPIDITY    DOES    TO    THE    PRIEST. 
I. 

To  what  the  Tepid  Priest  is  Exposed. 

THE  Lord  commanded  St.  John  in  the  Apocalypse  to 
write  to  the  Bishop  of  Ephesus  the  following  words:  / 
know  thy  works,  and  thy  labor,  and  thy  patience?  I  know  well 
all  that  you  do;  I  know  your  labors  for  my  glory;  I  know 
your  patience  in  the  toils  of  your  office.  But  he  adds: 
But  I  have  somewhat  against  thee,  because  thou  hast  left  thy 
first  charity?'  But  I  must  reprove  you  for  having  fallen 
away  from  your  first  fervor.  But  what  great  evil  was 
there  in  this  ?  What  great  evil  ?  Listen  to  what  our 
Lord  adds:  Be  mindful,  therefore,  from  whence  thou  art 
fallen;  and  do  penance,  and  do  the  first  works  :  or  else  I  come 
to  thee,  and  will  move  thy  candlestick  out  of  its  place?  Re- 
member'whence  you  have  fallen;  do  penance,  and  re 
turn  to  the  first  fervor,  with  which,  as  my  minister,  you 
are  bound  to  live,  otherwise  I  will  reject  you  as  un 
worthy  of  the  ministry  that  I  have  committed  to  you. 

Is  tepidity,  then,  productive  of  so  much  ruin  ?  Yes, 
it  brings  with  it  great  ruin,  and  the  greatest  evil  is,  that 
this  ruin  is  not  known,  and  is,  therefore,  neither  avoided 
nor  dreaded  by  the  tepid,  and  especially  by  priests.  The 

1  "  Scio  opera  tua,  et  laborem,'  et  patientiam  tuam." — Apoc.  ii.  2. 

a  "  Sed  habeo  adversum  te,  quod  caritatem  tuam  primam  reliquisti." 
—Ib.  4. 

3  ' '  Memor  esto  itaque  unde  excideris,  et  age  poenitentiam,  et  prima 
opera  fac;  sin  autem,  venio  tibi,  et  movebo  candelabrum  tuum  de  loco 
suo." — Ib.  5. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     89 

majority  of  them  are  shipwrecked  on  this  blind  rock  of 
tepidity,  and  therefore  many  of  them  are  lost.  I  call  it 
a  blind  rock:  because  the  great  danger  of  perdition  to 
which  the  tepid  are  exposed  consists  in  this,  that  their 
tepidity  does  not  allow  them  to  see  the  great  havoc  that 
it  produces  in  the  soul.  Many  are  unwilling  to  be 
altogether  separated  from  Jesus  Christ;  they  wish  to 
follow  him,  but  they  wish  to  follow  him  at  a  distance, 
like  St.  Peter,  who,  when  the  Redeemer  was  seized  in 
the  %ax&&\,  followed  him  from  afar  off.1  But  they  that 
act  in  this  manner,  shall  easily  fall  into  the  misfortune 
which  befell  St.  Peter,  who,  when  charged  by  a  servant 
maid  with  being  a  disciple  of  the  Redeemer,  thrice 
denied  Jesus  Christ. 

He  that  contemneth  small  things  shall  fall  by  little  and 
little?'  The  interpreter  applies  this  passage  to  the  tepid 
Christian,  and  says  that  he  shall  first  lose  devotion,  and 
shall  afterwards  fall,3  passing  from  venial  sins,  which 
he  has  disregarded,  to  grievous  and  mortal  offences. 
Eusebius  Emissenus  says  that  he  that  is  not  afraid  to 
offend  God  by  venial  faults  shall  scarcely  be  exempt 
from  mortal  sins.4  "By  a  just  judgment,"  says  St. 
Isidore,  "  the  Lord  will  permit  him  that  despises  minor 
transgressions  to  fall  into  grievous  crimes."  '  Trifling 
maladies,  when  few,  do  little  injury  to  health,  but  when 
they  are  numerous  and  frequent,  they  bring  on  mortal 
diseases.  "You  guard  against  great  faults,"  says  St. 
Augustine,  "  but  what  do  you  do  in  regard  to  light  faults? 
You  have  shaken  the  mountain:  take  care  that  you  be 

1  "  Petrus  autem  sequebatur  eum  a  longe." — Matth.  xxvi.  58. 
'2  "  Qui  spernit  modica,  paulatim  decidet." — Ecclus.  xix.  i. 

3  "  Decidet  a  pietate,  a  statu  gratiae  in  statum  peccati." 

4  "  Difficile  est  ut  non  cadere  in  gravia  permittatur,  qui  minus  gravia 
non  veretur." — Homil.  init.  quadr. 

5"Judicio  autem  divino  in  reatum  nequiorem  labuntur,  qui  dis- 
tringere  minora  sua  facta  contemnunt." — Sent.  \.  2,  c.  ig. 


90  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

not  crushed  by  a  heap  of  sand." '  You  are  careful  to 
avoid  grievous  falls,  but  you  fear  not  small  ones;  you 
are  not  deprived  of  life  by  the  great  rock  of  any  mortal 
sin,  but  beware,  says  the  saint,  lest  by  a  multitude  of 
venial  sins  you  be  crushed  as  by  a  heap  of  sand.  We  all 
know  that  only  mortal  sin  kills  the  soul,  and  that  venial 
sins,  however  great  their  number,  cannot  rob  the  soul  of 
divine  grace.  But  it  is  also  necessary  to  understand 
what  St.  Gregory  teaches,  that  the  habit  of  committing 
light  faults  without  remorse,  and  without  an  effort  to 
correct  them,  gradually  deprives  us  of  the  fear  of  God; 
and  when  the  fear  of  God  is  lost,  it  is  easy  to  pass  from 
venial  to  mortal  sins.2  St.  Dorotheus  adds,  tha.t  by 
despising  light  faults  we  expose  ourselves  to  the  danger 
of  falling  into  perfect  insensibility.3  He  that  disregards 
small  offences  is  in  danger  of  general  insensibility,  so 
that  afterwards  he  shall  feel  no  horror  even  of  mortal 
sins. 

St.  Teresa,  as  the  Roman  Rota  attests,  never  fell  into 
any  mortal  sin;  but  still  our  Lord  showed  her  the  place 
prepared  for  her  in  hell,  not  because  she  had  deserved 
hell,  but  because,  had  she  not  risen  from  the  state  of 
tepidity  in  which  she  lived,  she  should  in  the  end  have 
lost  the  grace  of  God,  and  should  be  damned.  Hence 
the  Apostle  says,  Give  not  place  to  the  devil?  The  devil 
is  satisfied  when  we  begin  to  open  the  door  to  him  by 
disregarding  small  faults;  for  he  shall  then  labor  to 
open  it  perfectly,  by  leading  us  into  grievous  trans 
gressions.  "  Do  not  imagine,"  says  Cassian,  "  that  any 

1  "  Magna  praecavisti!  de  minutis  quid  agis?  Projecisti  molem! 
vide  ne  arena  obruaris." — In  Ps.  xxxix. 

2"Ut,  usu  cuncta  levigante,  nequaquam  post  committere  etiam 
graviora  timeamus." — Mor.  1.  10,  c.  14. 

3  "  Periculum  est  ne  in  perfectam    insensibilitatem  deveniamus." — 
Doctr.  3. 

4  "  Nolite  locum  dare  diabolo." — £ph.  iv.  27. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     91 

one  falls  at  once  into  ruin."1  That  is,  when  you  hear 
of  the  fall  of  a  spiritual  soul,  do  not  imagine  that  the 
devil  has  suddenly  precipitated  her  into  sin;  for  he  has 
first  brought  her  into  tepidity,  and  then  has  cast  her 
into  the  precipice  of  enmity  with  God.  Hence  St.  John 
Chrysostom  says  that  he  knew  many  persons  adorned 
with  all  virtues,  who  afterwards  fell  into  tepidity,  and 
from  tepidity  into  an  abyss  of  vice.2  It  is  related  in  the 
Teresian  Chronicles,  that  Sister  Anne  of  the  Incarnation 
once  saw  in  hell  a  person  whom  she  had  regarded  as  a 
saint:  on  her  countenance  appeared  a  multitude  of 
small  animals,  which  represented  the  multitude  of  de 
fects  that  she  committed  and  disregarded  during  life. 
Of  these  some  were  heard  to  say,  By  us  you  began;  others, 
By  us  you  continued;  others,  By  us  you  have  brought  yourself 
to  hell. 

I  know  thy  works,  that  thou  art  neither  cold  nor  hot*  says 
our  Lord,  through  St.  John,  to  the  Bishop  of  Laodicea. 
Behold  the  state  of  a  tepid  soul,  neither  cold  nor  hot. 
"  The  tepid  person,"  says  Father  Menochius  in  his  ex 
position  of  this  passage,  "  is  one  that  does  not  dare 
offend  God  knowingly  and  willingly,  but  is  one  that 
neglects  to  strive  after  a  more  perfect  life,  and  hence 
easily  gives  himself  up  to  his  passions."4  A  tepid  priest 
is  not  manifestly  cold,  because  he  does  not  knowingly 
and  deliberately  commit  mortal  sins;  but  neglecting  to 
seek  after  the  perfection  to  which  he  is  bound  by  the 

1  "  Lapsus  quispiam  nequaquam  subitanea  ruina  corruisse  credendus 
est." — Coll.  6,  c.  17. 

2  "  Novimus   multos,  omnes  virtutes   numero   habuisse,    et   tamen, 
negligentia  lapses,  ad  vitiorum  barathrum  devenisse." — In  Matth.  horn. 
27. 

3  "  Scio  opera  tua,    quia  neque  frigidus  es,  neque  calidus."— Apoc. 
iii.  15. 

4  "  Tepidus   est  qui    non   audet    Deum    mortaliter  sciens    et   volens 
offendere,  sed  perfectioris  vitae  studium  negligit,  unde  facile  concupi- 
scentiis  se  committit." — In  Apoc.  iii.  16. 


92  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI 

obligations  of  his  state,  he  makes  little  of  venial  sins,  he 
commits  many  of  them  every  day  without  scruple,  by 
lies,  by  intemperance  in  eating  and  drinking,  by  im 
precations,  by  distraction  at  the  Office  and  Mass,  by  de 
tractions,  by  jests  opposed  to  modesty:  he  leads  a  life 
of  dissipation  in  the  midst  of  worldly  business  and 
amusements;  he  cherishes  dangerous  desires  and  attach 
ments;  full  of  vainglory,  of  human  respect  and  self- 
esteem,  he  cannot  bear  a  contradiction  or  a  disrespectful 
word;  he  neglects  mental  prayer,  and  is  destitute  of 
piety.  Father  Alvarez  de  Paz  says  that  the  defects  and 
faults  of  a  tepid  soul  are  "  like  those  light  indispositions 
that  do  not  cause  death,  but  that  weaken  the  body  in 
such  a  manner  that  a  grave  malady  cannot  supervene 
without  destroying  the  body  which  has  no  longer  the 
power  of  resisting."  '  The  tepid  Christian  is  like  a  sick 
man  who  has  labored  under  many  light  maladies,  which, 
because  they  are  incessant,  reduce  him  to  such  a  state 
of  debility,  that  as  soon  as  he  is  attacked  by  any  serious 
disease,  that  is,  by  a  strong  temptation,  he  has  not 
strength  to  resist,  and  falls,  but  falls  with  greater  ruin. 

Hence  the  Lord  continues  to  address  the  tepid  bishop, 
saying,  /  would  thou  wert  cold  or  hot,  but  because  thou  art 
lukewarm,  I  will  begin  to  vomit  thee  out  of  My  mouth?  Let 
him  that  finds  himself  miserably  fallen  into  the  state  of 
tepidity,  consider  these  words  and  tremble. 

/  would  that  thou  wert  cold!  Better,  says  the  Lord, 
that  you  were  cold,  that  is,  deprived  of  my  grace,  for 
then  there  should  be  greater  reason  to  hope  for  your  re 
covery  from  so  miserable  a  state;  but  by  remaining  in 

1  "  Sunt  velut  irremissae  aegrotatiunculae,  quae  vitam  quidem  non  dis- 
solvunt,   sed    ita   corpus   extenuant,   ut  accedente  aliquo  gravi   morbo 
statim  corpus,  vires  non  habens  resistendi,  succumbat." — De  Perf.  1. 
5,  p.  2,  c.  1 6. 

2  "  Utinam  frigidus  esses,  aut  calidus!  sed  quia  tepidus   es,  et  nee 
frigidus  nee  calidus,  incipiam  te  evomere  ex  ore  meo." 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     93 

it,  you  shall  be  exposed  to  greater  danger  of  rushing 
into  grievous  sins  without  any  hope  of  ever  emerging 
from  them.  "  Although  he  that  is  cold,"  says  Cornelius 
a  Lapide,  "  is  worse  than  he  that  is  tepid,  yet  the  con 
dition  of  the  tepid  is  worse,  since  the  danger  of  falling 
is  greater,  without  any  hope  of  recovery."  "  St.  Bernard 
says  that  it  is  easier  to  convert  a  wicked  layman  than  a 
tepid  ecclesiastic.  Pereira  adds,  that  it  is  more  easy  to 
bring  an  infidel  to  the  faith,  than  to  renew  a  tepid 
Christian  in  the  spirit  of  fervor.2  And  Cassian  has  said 
that  he  saw  many  sinners  consecrate  themselves  to  God 
with  their  whole  heart,  but  that  he  knew  no  one  that 
had  risen  from  tepidity  to  fervor.3  St.  Gregory  holds 
out  hopes  to  a  sinner  not  yet  converted,  but  he  despairs 
of  him  who,  after  having  repented,  and  given  himself  to 
God  with  fervor,  falls  into  tepidity.  Beholds  his  words: 
"  However  tepid  any  one  may  be,  there  is  always  a  hope 
that  sooner  or  later  his  fervor  will  be  reanimated;  but 
of  any  one  that  falls  little  by  little  from  fervor  into 
tepidity,  we  must  expect  nothing.  In  fact,  we  may 
count  on  a  sinner  for  the  grace  of  conversion,  but  if 
after  conversion  he  becomes  tepid,  we  must  despair  of 
his  return."  4 

In  a  word,  tepidity  is  a  desperate  and  almost  incurable 
evil.  For  in  order  to  be  able  to  avoid  danger  it  is 
necessary  to  know  it.  Now  the  tepid,  when  they  have 
fallen  into  that  miserable  'state  of  darkness,  do  not  even 

1  "  Licet  frigidus  sit  pejor  tepido,  tamen  pejor  est  status  tepidi,  quia 
tepidus  est  in  majori  periculo  ruendi  sine  spe  resurgendi." — In  Apoc. 
iii.  1 6. 

'2  "  Facilius  enim  est  quemlibet  paganum  ad  fidem  Christi  adducere, 
quam  talem  aliquem  a  suo  torpore  ad  spiritus  fervorem  revocare." 

3  "  Frequenter  vidimus  de  frigidis  ad  spiritalem  pervenire  fervorem, 
de  tepidis  omnino  non  vidimus." — Coll.  4,  c.  19. 

4  "  Sicut  ante  teporem  frigus  sub  spe  est,  ita  tepor  in  desperatione- 
qui  enim  adhuc  in  peccatis  est,  conversionis  fiduciam  non  amittit;  qui 
vero  post  conversionem  tepuit,  et  spem,  quae  esse  potuit  de  peccatore, 
subtraxit," — Past,  p.  3,  c.  I,  a  dm.  35. 


94  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

know  their  danger.  Tepidity  is  like  a  hectic  fever  that 
is  scarcely  perceived.  The  tepid  man  does  not  see  even 
habitual  defects.  "  Grievous  faults,"  says  St.  Gregory, 
"  because  they  are  more  easily  observed,  are  more  readily 
corrected;  but  he  who  disregards  light  defects  'con 
tinues  to  commit  them,  and  thus  by  the  habit  of  de 
spising  minor  transgressions  he  shall  soon  despise 
grievous  sins."  '  Besides,  mortal  sin  always  excites  a 
certain  horror  even  in  habitual  sinners,  but  to  the  tepid, 
his  imperfections,  inordinate  attachments,  dissipations, 
love  of  pleasure  or  of  self-esteem,  cause  no  horror. 
These  little  faults  are  the  more  dangerous  because  they 
imperceptibly  dispose  him  to  ruin.  "  Great  sins,"  says 
Father  Alvarez  de  Paz,  "  are  less  dangerous  for  the  just 
than  these  little  faults,  because  the  hideous  aspect  of 
the  former  frightens  them,  while  the  others  insensibly 
conduct  to  ruin." ' 

Hence  St.  John  Chrysostom  has  written  that  cele 
brated  sentence,  that  we  ought  in  a  certain  manner  to 
be  more  careful  to  avoid  light  faults  than  grievous 
sins:  "We  must  use  more  care  to  avoid  little  sins  than 
to  avoid  great  sins;  for  the  latter  are  already  opposed 
by  our  nature,  and  because  the  former,  being  small, 
make  us  more  indolent  in  our  struggles.  Since  we  dis 
regard  them,  the  soul  cannot  raise  itself  so  generously  as 
to  repel  them:  hence  great  sins  flow  from  small  sins."3 

1  "  Major  enim  quo  citius  quia  sit  culpa  agnoscitur,  eo  etiam  citius 
emendatur;  minor  vero,  dum  quasi  nulla  creditur,  eo  pejus  quo  et 
securius  in  usu  retinetur.  Unde  fit  plerumque  ut  mens,  assueta  malis 
levibus,  nee  graviora  perhorrescat,  et  in  majoribus  contemnat." — Past. 
p.  3,  c.  I,  adm.  34. 

8  "  Magna  peccata  eo  justis  minus  periculosa  sunt,  quod  aspectum 
satis  tetrum  exhorrent;  at  minima  periculosiora  videntur,  quia  latenter 
ad  ruinam  disponunt." — De  Pcrf.  1.  5,  p.  2,  c.  16. 

3  "  Non  tanto  studio  magna  peccata  esse  vitanda,  quam  parva:  ilia 
enim  natura  adversatur;  haec  autem,  quia  parva  sunt,  desides  reddunt. 
Dum  contemnuntur,  non  potest  ad  eorum  expulsionem  animus  gene- 
rose  insurgere;  unde  cito  ex  parvis  maxima  fiunt." — In  Matth.  horn.  87, 


CH.  v,]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     95 

The  reason,  then,  assigned  by  the  saint  is,  that  mortal 
sins  excite  a  natural  horror,  but  light  faults  are  disre 
garded,  and  therefore  they  soon  become  grievous.  And 
the  greatest  evil  is,  that  small  defects  that  are  disre 
garded  render  the  soul  more  careless  about  her  spirit 
ual  interests,  and  therefore,  because  she  has  been  accus 
tomed  to  despise  slight  offences,  they  lead  her  to  think 
little  of  grievous  transgressions.  In  the  Canticles  the 
Lord  says.  Catch  us  the  little  foxes  that  destroy  the  vines,  for 
our  vineyard  hath  flourished?  Mark  the  word  foxes:  he 
does  not  tell  us  to  catch  the  lions  and  tigers,  but  the 
foxes.  These  foxes  destroy  the  vine;  they  make  a 
multitude  of  dens,  and  thus  dry  up  the  roots,  that  is, 
devotion  and  good  desires,  which  are  the  roots  of  spiri 
tual  life.  He  also  says  little.  Why  does  he  tells  us  to 
catch  the  little  and  not  the  large  foxes  ?  Because  the 
little  foxes  excite  less  terror,  but  often  do.more  mischief 
than  the  large  ones.  For,  as  Father  Alvarez  says,  small 
faults  when  disregarded  impede  the  infusion  of  divine 
graces,  and  thus  the  soul  remains  barren,  and  is  finally 
lost.2  The  Holy  Ghost  adds:  for  our  vineyard  hath 
flourished.  How  great  the  evil  of  venial  faults  when 
multiplied  and  not  abhorred  ?  They  eat  the  flowers, 
that  is,  they  destroy  the  good  desires  of  advancing  in 
perfection,  and  when  these  desires  fail,  the  soul  shall 
always  go  backward  until  she  finds  herself  fallen  into  a 
precipice  from  which  it  will  be  difficult  to  rescue  her. 

/  will  begin  to  vomit  thee  out  of  My  mouth?     Let  us  con 
clude  the  exposition  of  this  text  of  the  Apocalypse.     A 

"Capita  nobis  vulpes  parvulas  quse  demoliuntur  vineas;  nam  vinea 
nostra  floruit." — Cant.  ii.  15. 

"  Culpae  leves  et  imperfectiones  vulpes  parvulse  sunt,  in  quibus 
nihil  nimisnoxium  aspicimus;  sed  hae  vineam,  id  est,  animam  demoli 
untur,  quia  earn  sterilem  faciunt,  dum  pluviam  auxilii  coelestis  impedi- 
unt." — De  Pcrf.  1.  5,  p.  2,  c.  16. 

"Sed,  quia  tepidus  es,  incipiam  te  evomere  ex  ore 
iii.  16. 


g6  Material  for  Sermons.  IPART  i. 

draught  that  is  cold  or  hot  is  taken  with  facility,  but 
when  tepid  it  is  taken  with  great  difficulty,  because  it 
provokes  vomiting.  This  precisely  is  what  the  Lord 
has  threatened  against  the  tepid  soul.  /  will  begin  to 
vomit  thee  out  of  My  mouth.  In  expounding  this  passage 
Menochius  says,  "  God  begins  to  vomit  forth  the  tepid 
man,  because  the  latter  as  long  as  he  perseveres  in  his 
tepidity  creates  in  Him  nausea,  until  finally  at  his  death 
the  Lord  vomits  him  entirely,  and  he  is  forever  separated 
from  Christ.'' ]  The  tepid  are  in  danger  of  being  vom 
ited  forth  by  God,  that  is,  of  being  abandoned  without 
hope  of  remedy.  This  is  what  the  Lord  means  by  vom 
iting  the  soul  out  of  his  mouth;  for  all  have  a  great 
horror  of  taking  back  what  they  vomit.  "  For  just  as," 
says  Cornelius  a  Lapide,  "  one  refuses  to  take  back  what 
one  has  rejected,  so  God  has  a  horror  of  the  tepid  whom 
he  has  vomited  forth."'  How  does  God  begin  to  vomit 
forth  the  tepid  priest  ?  He  ceases  to  give  him  any 
longer  these  loving  calls  (this  precisely  means  to  be 
vomited  forth  from  the  mouth  of  God),  these  spiritual 
consolations,  these  good  desires.  In  fine,  he  shall  be  de 
prived  of  spiritual  unction.  The  unhappy  man  will  go 
to  meditation,  but  shall  make  it  with  great  tediousness, 
dissipation,  and  unwillingness.  Hence  he  shall  by 
degrees  begin  to  omit  it,  and  thus  shall  cease  to  recom 
mend  himself  to  God  by  petitions  for  his  graces,  and 
by  neglecting  to  ask  the  divine  graces  he  shall  always 
become  more  poor,  and  shall  go  from  bad  to  worse.  He 
shall  say  Mass  and  the  Office,  but  they  shall  be  a  source 
of  demerit  rather  than  of  merit.  He  shall  perform  all 
his  functions  with  difficulty  and  by  force,  or  without 

1  "  Porro  tepidus  incipit  evomi,  cum,  permanens  in  tepore  suo,  Deo 
nauseam  movere  incipit,  donee  tandem  omnino  in  morte  sua  evomatur, 
et  a  Christo  in  seternum  separetur." 

2  "Vomitus  significat  Deum  exsecrari  tepidos,  sicut  exsecramur  icl 
quod  os  evomuit." — /;/  Apoc.  iii.  16. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     97 

devotion.  You  shall,  says  the  Lord,  be  anointed  all  over 
with  oil,  but  you  shall  remain  without  unction.1  The 
Mass,  the  divine  Office,  preaching,  hearing  confessions, 
assisting  the  dying,  attending  at  funerals,  are  exercises 
that  should  excite  new  fervor;  but  after  all  these  func 
tions  you  shall  remain  dry,  without  peace,  dissipated, 
agitated  by  a  thousand  temptations.  I  will  begin  to  vomit 
t/iee  out  of  My  mouth.  Behold  how  God  begins  to  vomit 
you  out  of  his  mouth. 

II. 

A  Priest  cannot  be  Satisfied  with  Avoiding  Grievous  Sins. 

Some  priests  may  say  it  is  enough  for  me  to  avoid 
mortal  sins  and  to  save  my  soul.  No,  answers  St. 
Augustine,  you  that  are  a  priest,  and  therefore  obliged 
to  walk  in  the  narrow  way  of  perfection,  shall  not  even 
save  your  soul  by  treading  the  broad  way  of  tepidity- 
"  When  you  say  it  is  enough,  you  are  lost."1  St.  Greg 
ory  says  that  they  that  are  to  be  saved  as  saints,  and 
wish  to  be  saved  as  imperfect  souls,  shall  not  be  saved. 
And  this  our  Lord  one  day  gave  Blessed  Angela  of 
Foligno  to  understand:  "They  that  are  enlightened  by 
me  to  walk  in  the  way  of  perfection,  and  through  tepid 
ity  wish  to  tread  in  the  ordinary  path,  shall  be  aban 
doned  by  me.":  It  is  certain,  as  we  have  seen  in  the 
above,4  that  a  priest  is  bound  to  be  holy,  as  well  on 
account  of  his  dignity  as  the  familiar  and  minister  of 
God,  as  on  account  of  his  office  of  offering  to  God  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  of  mediator  for  the  people  before 
the  divine  Majesty,  and  of  sanctifier  of  souls  by  means  of 
the  sacraments.  The  reason  is  that  he  may  walk  in  the 
way  of  perfection,  that  God  loads  him  with  so  many 

1  "  Calcabis  olivam,  et  non  ungeris  oleo." — Mich,  vi.  15. 

2  "Si  dixeris:  Sufficit; — et  periisti." — Serm.  169,  E.  B* 

3  Vision,  c.  51. 

4  Chap.  III. 

7 


98  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

graces  and  special  helps.  Hence,  when  he  exercises 
his  ministry  with  negligence,  amid  defects  and  faults, 
without  even  detesting  them,  God  pronounces  a  male 
diction  against  him.  Cursed  be  he  that  doth  the  work  of  the 
Lord  deceitfully.1  This  malediction  consists  in  abandon 
ment  by  God.  "God,"  writes  St.  Augustine,  "is  ac 
customed  to  abandon  the  negligent."2  The  Lord,  says 
the  saint,  usually  abandons  souls  favored  by  his  special 
graces,  when  after  all  his  gifts  they  neglect  to  live 
according  to  the  perfection  to  which  they  are  called. 
God,  observes  a  certain  author,  wishes  to  be  served  by 
his  priests  with  the  fervor  with  which  the  seraphim  serve 
him  in  heaven;  otherwise  he  will  withdraw  his  graces 
and  permit  them  to  sleep  in  tepidity,  and  thence  to  fall, 
first  into  the  precipice  of  sin  and  afterwards  into  hell.3 
The  tepid  priest,  weighed  down  by  so  many  venial  sins 
and  by  so  many  inordinate  attachments,  remains,  as  it 
were,  in  a  state  of  insensibility.  Hence  the  graces  re 
ceived  and  the  obligations  of  the  priesthood  make  but 
little  impression  upon  him,  and  therefore  the  Lord  shall 
justly  withhold  the  abundant  helps  that  are  morally 
necessary  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  obligations  of  his 
state;  thus  he  shall  go  from  bad  to  worse,  and  with  his 
defects  his  blindness  shall  increase.  Perhaps  God  is 
bound  to  make  his  graces  abound  in  those  that  are  par 
simonious  and  ungenerous  to  him  ?  No,  says  the  Apos 
tle,  he  who  sows  little  shall  reap  but  little.4 

The  Lord  has  declared  that  to  the  grateful  that  pre 
serve  his  graces  he  will  multiply  his  favors,  but  from  the 
ungrateful  he  shall  take  away  the  gifts  that  had  been 
bestowed  upon  them.  For  to  every  one  that  hath  shall  be 

1  "  Maled ictus,  qui  facit  opus  Domini  fraudulenter." — Jer.  xlviii.  10. 

2  "  Negligentes  Deus  deserere  consuevit." — In  Ps.  cxviii.  s.  10. 

3  "  Deus  vult  a  seraphim's  ministrari;  tepido  gratiam  suam  subtrahit, 
sinitque  eum  dormire,  itaque  ruere  in  barathrum." 

4  "  Qui  parce  seminal,  parce  et  metet." — 2.  Cor.  ix.  6. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.     99 

given,  and  he  shall  abound  j  but  from  him  that  hath  not,  that 
also  which  he  seemeth  to  have  shall  be  taken  away.1  Besides, 
St.  Matthew  says  that  when  the  master  receives  no  fruit 
from  the  vineyard,  he  takes  it  away  from  the  husband 
men  to  whom  he  had  given  it,  and  after  punishing  them 
consigns  it  to  others.  He  will  bring  those  evil  men  to  an 
evil  end,  and  will  let  out  His  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen,  that 
shall  render  Him  fruit  in  due  season?  He  afterwards  adds : 
Therefore  I  say  to  you,  that  the  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken 
from  you,  and  shall  be  given  to  a  nation  yielding  the  fruits 
thereof?  That  is,  God  shall  take  out  of  life  the  priest  to 
whom  he  gave  the  care  of  his  kingdom,  or  of  procuring 
his  glory,  and  shall  intrust  his  interests  to  others  who 
will  be  grateful  for  his  favors  and  faithful  to  his  graces. 
Hence  it  happens  that  from  so  many  sacrifices,  so 
many  Communions,  and  so  many  prayers  offered  in  the 
Office  and  in  the  Mass,  many  priests  draw  little  or  no 
fruit.  You  have  sowed  much,  says  the  Prophet  Aggeus, 
and  brought  in  little,  .  .  .  and  he  that  earned  wages  put  them 
into  a  bag  with  holes?  Such  the  tepid  priest !  He  lays  up 
all  his  spiritual  exercises  in  a  bag  with  holes ;  thus  no 
merit  remains,  but  on  the  contrary,  in  consequence  of 
committing  many  defects  in  the  performance  of  these 
exercises,  he  always  renders  himself  more  deserving  of 
chastisement.  The  tepid  priest  is  not  far  from  perdition. 
The  heart  of  a  priest  should,  as  Peter  de  Blois  says,  be  the 
altar  on  which  the  fire  of  divine  love  always  burns.  But 
what  proof  of  burning  love  for  God  does  the  priest  give 
who  is  content  with  avoiding  mortal  sin,  but  takes  no 

"Omni  enim  habenti  dabitur,  et  abundabit;  ei  autem  qui  non  habet, 
et  quod  videtur  habere,  auferetur  ab  eo." — Matth.  xxv.  29. 

2  "  Malos  male   perdet,  et  vineam  suam  locabit  aliis   agricolis,  qui 
reddant  ei  fructum  temporibus  suis." — Matth.  xxi.  41. 

"Ideo  dico  vobis  quia  auferetur  a  vobis  regnum  Dei,  et  dabitur 
genti  facienti  fructus  ejus." — Ibid.  43. 

"  Seminastis  multum,  et    intulistis   parum;  .   .   .  et   qui   mercedes 
congregavit,  misit  eas  in  sacculum  pertusum." — Agg.  i.  6. 


IOO  Material  for  Sermons.  IPART  i. 

trouble  to  abstain  from  displeasing  God  by  light  faults. 
"It  is  a  sign  of  a  very  tepid  love,"  says  Father  Alvarez, 
"to  restrict  the  proofs  of  love  only  to  the  omission  of 
very  grave  faults  against  God,  and  to  be  troubled  very 
little  about  offending  him  with  little  faults."  1 

To  become  a  good  priest,  a  man  requires  not  the 
common  graces,  nor  a  small  number  of  graces,  but 
special  and  abundant  helps.  But  how  can  God  be 
generous  and  abundant  in  his  graces  to  him  who  is 
appointed  to  serve  him,  and  who  serves  him  so  badly? 
St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  sent  one  day  for  a  lay  brother 
who  led  a  very  tepid  life,  and  said  to  him:  "  Tell  me,  my 
brother,  for  what  purpose  have  you  entered  religion  ?" 
The  lay  brother  answered,  "  To  serve  God."  "  And  is  it 
thus,"  replied  the  saint,  "you  serve  him  ?  Had  you  told 
me  that  you  came  to  serve  a  cardinal  or  an  earthly 
prince,  you  should  be  more  deserving  of  compassion; 
but  you  tell  me  that  you  have  come  to  serve  God,  and 
do  you  serve  him  so  badly  ?"  Every  priest  enters  into 
the  court,  not  among  the  servants,  but  among  the  famil 
iars  of  God,  who  have  continually  to  treat  confidentially 
with  him  on  matters  of  the  utmost  importance  to  his 
glory.  Hence  a  tepid  priest  dishonors  God  more  than 
he  honors  him;  for  by  his  negligent  and  imperfect  life 
he  shows  that  he  regards  God  unworthy  of  being  served 
and  loved  with  greater  fervor.  He  declares  that  in 
pleasing  God  he  does  not  find  that  felicity  which  is 
sufficient  to  make  the  soul  perfectly  content;  he  declares 
that  his  divine  Majesty  is  unworthy  of  the  love  that 
obliges  us  to  prefer  his  glory  to  all  self-gratification. 

"Signum  est  amoris  satis  tepidi,  velle  amatum  in  solis  rebus  gravi- 
bus  non  offendere,  et  in  aliis,  quae  non  tanta  severitate  praecipit,  ejus 
voluntatem  procaciter  violate." — De  Exterm.  mali,  1.  i,  c.  12. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.    101 


ill. 

Exhortation. 

Be  attentive,  dearly  beloved  priests;  let  us  tremble 
lest  all  tti£  grandeurs  and  honors  by  which  God  has 
raised  us  to  such  an  elevation  among  men  should  only 
terminate  in  our  eternal  damnation.  St.  Bernard  says 
that  the  solicitude  of  the  devils  for  our  destruction 
should  make  us  solicitous  in  laboring  for  salvation.1 
Oh  !  how  active  are  our  enemies  in  seeking  the  perdi 
tion  of  a  priest.  They  desire  the  fall  of  one  priest  more 
ardently  than  that  of  a  hundred  seculars;  as  well  be 
cause  the  victory  over  a  priest  is  a  far  greater  triumph 
than  a  victory  over  a  layman,  as  because  a  priest  that 
falls  brings  many  others  with  him  to  perdition.  But  as 
flies  avoid  boiling  water  and  run  to  that  which  is  tepid, 
so  the  devils  do  not  tempt  the  fervent  as  violently  as 
they  tempt  the  tepid  priest,  whom  they  often  succeed  in 
bringing  from  tepidity  into  the  state  of  mortal  sin. 
Cornelius  a  Lapide  says  that  the  tepid  when  assailed  by 
any  strong  temptation  are  in  great  danger  of  yielding 
to  temptations,  because  they  have  but  little  strength  to 
resist;  hence  it  is  that  in  so  many  occasions  of  danger 
they  often  fall  into  mortal  sin.2 

It  is  necessary  then  to  labor  to  avoid  faults  that  are 
wilfully  and  deliberately  committed.  It  cannot  be  de 
nied  that,  except  Jesus  Christ  and  the  divine  Mother, 
who  by  a  singular  privilege  have  been  free  from  all 
stain  of  sin,  all  other  men,  even  the  saints,  have  not 
been  exempt  at  least  from  venial  sins.  The  heavens  are 

"  Hostium  malitia,  qua  tarn  solliciti  sunt  in  nostram  perditionem, 
nos  quoque  sollicitos  facial,  ut  in  timore  et  tremore  ipsorum  nostram 
salutem  operemur." — De  S.  Andrea,  s.  2. 

"  In  magno  versatur  periculo,  saepeque,  inter  tot  occasiones  quibus 
plena  est  haec  vita,  in  mortale  prolabitur." — In  Apoc.  iii.  15. 


IO2  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

not  pure  in  his  sight^  says  Job.  St.  James  says,  In  many 
things  we  all  offend?  Thus  every  child  of  Adam  must,  as 
St.  Leo  has  written,  be  defiled  with  the  mire  of  this 
earth.3  But  it  is  necessary  to  attend  to  what  the  Wise 
Man  says  on  this  subject:  For  a  just  man  shall  fall  seven 
times,  and  shall  rise  again*  He  that  falls  through  human 
frailty,  without  a  full  knowledge  of  the  malice  of  the 
act,  and  without  a  deliberate  consent,  rises  easily:  shall 
fall  and  rise  again.  But  how  can  he  rise  who  knows  his 
defects,  commits  them  deliberately,  and  instead  of  de 
testing  them,  takes  complacency  in  them  ? 

If  we  commit  faults,  says  St.  Augustine,  let  us  at 
least  confess  and  detest  them,  and  God  will  pardon 
them . 5  If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just  to  for 
give  us  otir  sins*  To  obtain  the  remission  of  venial  faults, 
Louis  de  Blois  says  that  it  is  enough  to  confess  them  in 
general.7  And  in  another  place  he  writes8  that  such 
sins  are  more  easily  cancelled  by  turning  to  God  with 
humility  and  love  than  by  stopping  to  dwell  upon  them 
with  too  much  fear.  St.  Francis  de  Sales  also  has 
written  that  as  the  daily  faults  of  spiritual  souls  are  in- 
deliberately  committed,  so  they  are  indeliberately  taken 
away.  He  meant  to  say  what  St.  Thomas  teaches,  that 
for  the  remission  of  venial  sins  "  it  is  sufficient  to  detest 
them  either  explicitly  or  even  implicitly,  for  example, 

1  "  Coeli  non  sunt  mundi  in  conspectu  ejus." — Job,  xv.  15. 
*  "In  multis  enim  offendimus  omnes." — James,  iii.  2. 

3  ' '  Necesse  est  de  mundano  pulvere  etiam  religiosa  corda  sordcscere." 
— DC  Quadr.  s.  4. 

4  "Septies  enim  cadet  Justus,  et  resurget." — Frov.  xxiv.  16. 

5  "  Et  si  non  sumus  sine  peccatis,  oderimus  tamen  ea." — Sertn.  181, 
E.  B. 

6  "Si  confiteamur  peccata  nostra,   fidelis  est   et .  Justus,  ut  remittat 
nobis  peccata  nostra,  et  emundet  nos  ab  omni  iniquitate." — i  John,  i.  9. 

1  "  Sane  tales  culpas  generaliter  exposuisse  satis  est." — C&nsol. 
pusill.  c.  i ,  §  4. 

8  Brev.  Reg.  tyr.  sf>.  §  4. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.    103 

by  a  fervent  act  of  the  love  of  God."  '  The  holy  Doctor 
then  says:  "The  remission  of  venial  sins  is  brought 
about  in  three  ways:  i.  By  infusion  of  divine  grace;  in 
this  way  by  means  of  the  Holy  Eucharist  and  the  other 
sacraments  such  sins  are  remitted;  2.  By  acts  that  in 
clude  a  movement  of  detestation,  and  thus  by  a  general 
confession  of  sins,  by  striking  the  breast,  by  reciting  an 
Our  Father ,  we  obtain  the  remission  of  such  sins;  3.  By 
every  act  of  religion  towards  God  and  the  things  of 
God,  such  as  the  receiving  of  the  blessing  from  a  bishop, 
to  take  holy  water,  to  pray  in  a  consecrated  church."2 
Speaking  of  the  holy  Communion,  St.  Bernardine  of 
Sienna  says:  "It  may  happen  that  after  Communion 
the  soul  finds  itself  so  absorbed  in  God  that  all  venial 
sins  disappear  before  the  fervor  of  its  devotion."  : 

The  Venerable  Louis  da  Ponte  used  to  say:  "I  have 
committed  many  faults,  but  I  have  never  made  peace 
with  my  faults.  Many  make  peace  with  their  defects, 
and  this  shall  cause  their  ruin."  St.  Bernard  says  that 
as  long  as  a  person  detests  his  imperfections,  there  is 
reason  to  hope  that  he  shall  return  to  the  straight  path; 


1  "  Sufficit  actus  quo  aliquis  detestatur  peccatum  veniale  vel  explicite 
vel  implicite,  sicut  cum  aliquis  ferventer  movetur  ad  Deum." — P.  3,  q. 
87,  a.  3. 

2  "  Triplici  ratione,  aliqua   causant  remissionem  venialium:  i°,   per 
infusionem  gratiae;  et  hoc  modo,  per  Eucharistiam  et  omnia  Sacramenta, 
venialia  remittuntur;  2°,  in  quantum  sunt  cum  aliquo  motu  detestationis; 
et  hoc  modo,  confessio  generalis,  tunsio  pectoris,  et  Oratio' Dominica, 
operantur  ad  remissionem;  3°,  in  quantum  sunt  cum  aliquo  motu  reve- 
rentiae  in  Deum  et  ad  res  divinas;  et  hoc  modo,  benedictio  episcopalis, 
aspersio  aquae  benedictse,  oratio  in  ecclesia  dedicata,  et  si  aliqua  sunt 
hujusmodi,    operantur  ad   remissionem  venialium/' — S.    TJiomas,   loco 
citato. 

"  Contingere  potest  quod  tanta  devotione  mens,  per  sumptionem 
Sacramenti,  in  Domino  absorbeatur,  quod  ab  omnibus  venialibus  ex- 
purgetur." — DC  Chr.  Dom.  s.  12,  a.  2,  c.  i. 


IO4  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

but  when  he  commits  faults  knowingly  and  deliberately, 
and  when  the  commission  of  them  excites  neither  fear 
nor  remorse,  they  shall  by  degrees  bring  him  to  ruin. 
Dying  flies,  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  spoil  the  sweetness  of  the 
ointment.1  Dying  flies  are  the  faults  that  are  committed 
but  not  detested;  for  they  remain  dead  in  the  soul. 
"When  a  fly,"  says  Denis  the  Carthusian,  "falls  into  a 
sweet-smelling  ointment  and  remains  therein,  it  will 
injure  the  ointment  and  its  good  odor.  If  we  apply  this 
to  the  spiritual  life,  the  dead  flies  represent  our  idle 
thoughts,  illicit  affections,  voluntary  distractions — things 
that  spoil  the  sweetness  of  the  ointment,  that  is,  the 
sweetness  attached  to  the  exercises  of  piety."'' 

St.  Bernard  3  writes,  that  to  say  this  is  a  light  sin  is 
not  a  great  evil,  but  to  commit  it,  and  take  complacency 
in  it,  is  an  evil  of  great  moment,  and  shall,  according  to 
the  words  of  St.  Luke,  be  severely  chastised  by  God. 
And  that  servant  that  knew  the  will  of  his  Lord,  and  did  not 
according  to  His  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes;  but  he 
that  knew  not,  and  did  things  worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten 
with  few  stripes."  It  is  true  that  even  spiritual  persons 
are  not  free  from  light  transgressions;  "but,"  says 
Father  Alvarez,  "  they  daily  diminish  the  number  and 
grievousness  of  their  faults,  and  afterwards  efface  them 
by  acts  of  divine  love."  Whoever  acts  in  this  manner 
shall  acquire  sanctity:  neither  shall  his  defects  hinder 


1  "  Muscae  morientes  perdunt  suavitatem  unguenti." — Ecdes.  x.  I. 

2  "  Dum  musca  cadit  in  unguentum,   manendo  in  illo,  destruit  ejus 
valorem  atque   odorem.     Spiritualiter,   muscre   morientes  sunt  cogita- 
tiones  vanae,  affectiones  illicitae,  distractiones  morosae,  quoe    '  perdunt 
suavitatem  unguenti,'  id  est,  dulcedinem  spiritualium  exercitiorum." 

3  In  Convcrs.  S.  Pattli,  s.  I. 

4  "  Qui  cognovit  voluntatem  domini  sui,  et  non  praeparavit,  et  non 
fecit  secundum  voluntatem  ejus,  vapulabit  multis;  qui  autem  non  cog 
novit,  et  fecit  digna  plagis,  vapulabit  paucis." — Ltike,  xii.  47. 


CH.  v.]  Injury  Done  to  the  Priest  by  Tepidity.    105 

him  from  tending  to  perfection.  Hence  Louis  de  Blois 
tells  us  not  to  be  disheartened  by  these  little  faults,  be 
cause  we  have  several  means  of  expiating  them:  "If 
every  day  we  fall  several  times,  it  will  depend  entirely 
on  us  to  employ  every  day  the  means  of  atoning  for  our 
faults."  '  But  how  can  he  that  entertains  an  attachment 
for  any  earthly  good,  and  voluntarily  falls  and  relapses 
into  that  attachment  without  any  wish  to  get  rid  of  it, 
advance  in  the  way  of  God  ?  The  bird  that  escapes 
from  the  net  instantly  takes  flight;  but  as  long  as  it  is 
held  even  by  a  slender  thread,  it  remains  on  the  earth. 
"  Every  little  thread  of  attachment  to  this  world,"  says 
St.  John  of  the  Cross,  "impedes  the  spiritual  progress 
of  the  soul." 

Let  us,  then,  guard  against  falling  into  this  miserable 
state  of  tepidity;  for,  according  to  what  has  been  already 
said,  to  raise  a  priest  from  such  a  state  a  most  powerful 
grace  is  necessary.  But  what  reason  have  we  to  think 
that  God  will  give  such  a  grace  to  priests  that  provoke 
him  to  vomit  them  out  of  his  mouth  ?  Some  person 
that  has  fallen  into  this  miserable  state  may  ask,  Is 
there,  then,  no  hope  for  me?  There  is  ground  of  hope 
in  the  mercy  and  power  of  God.  The  things  that  are  im 
possible  with  men,  are  possible  with  God?  It  is  impossible 
for  the  tepid  priest  to  rise,  but  to  raise  him  up  is  not 
impossible  to  God.  However,  a  desire,  at  least,  is  neces 
sary  on  our  part.  How  can  he  that  does  not  even  desire 
to  rise  hope  for  the  divine  aid  ?  Let  him  that  has  not 
even  this  desire  ask  it  of  God.  If  we  pray,  and  perse 
vere  in  prayer,  the  Lord  shall  grant  both  the  desire  and 
the  grace  to  rise.  Ask,  and  you  shall  receive?  God  has 

1  "  Quemadmodum  singulis  diebus  in  multis  offendimus,  ita  quotidia- 
nas  expiationes  habemus." — Farad,  an.  p.  i,  c.  3. 

'*  "  Quae  impossibilia  sunt  apud  homines,  possibilia  sunt  apud  Deum." 
— Luke,  xviii.  27. 

3  "  Petite,  et  accipietis." 


1 06  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

promised,  and  his  promise  cannot  fail.  Let  us  then 
pray,  and  say  with  St  Augustine,  "  Let  my  merit  be 
Thy  mercy."  '  Lord,  I  have  no  claim  or  merit  to  be 
heard  by  you,  but,  O  eternal  Father,  your  mercy  and 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  my  merits.  To  have 
recourse  to  the  most  holy  Virgin  is  also  a  great  means 
of  rising  from  a  state  of  tepidity. 

1  "  Meritum  meum,  misericordia  tua." 


CHAP,  vij          The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  107 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   SIN    OF    INCONTINENCE. 


Necessity  of  Purity  in  the  Priest. 

INCONTINENCE  is  called  by  St.  Basil  of  Seleucia1  a  liv 
ing  plague,  and  by  St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna,  the  most 
noxious  of  all  sins;  "  a  terrible  gnawing  worm."2  Be 
cause,  as  St.  Bonaventure  says,  impurity  destroys  the 
germs  of  all  virtues.3  Hence  St.  Ambrose  calls  it  the 
hot-house  and  mother  of  all  vices.4  For  it  brings  with 
it  hatred,  thefts,  sacrileges,  and  other  similar  vices. 
Hence  St.  Remigius  has  justly  said:  "With  the  excep 
tion  of  those  that  die  in  childhood,  most  men  will  be 
damned  on  account  of  this  vice."E  And  Father  Paul 
Segneri  says  that  as  pride  has  filled  hell  with  angels,  so 
impurity  has  filled  it  with  men.  In  other  vices  the  devil 
fishes  with  the  hook,  in  this  he  fishes  with  the  net;  so 
that  by  incontinence  he  gains  more  for  hell  than  by  all 
other  sins.  On  the  other  hand,  God  has  inflicted  the 
severest  chastisement  on  the  world,  sending  deluges  of 
water  and  fire  from  heaven,  in  punishment  of  the  sin  of 
incontinence. 

Chastity  is  a  most  beautiful  gem;  but,  as  St.  Athana-, 

1  Or  at.  5. 

2  "  Vermis  quo  nullus  nocentior." — T.  II.  s.  52,  a.  3,  c.  2. 

3  "  Luxuria  omnium  virtutum  eradicat  germina," 

4  "Luxuria  seminarium  et  origo  vitiorum  est." — St.  Thorn,  de  Vill. 
De  S.  Ildeph.  cone.  2. 

5  "  Demptis  parvulis,  ex  adultis  pauci,  propter  hoc  vitium,  salvantur." 
— //  Crist,  istr.  p.  I,  rag.  24. 


1 08  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

sius  says,  it  is  a  gem  found  by  few  on  this  earth.1  But 
if  this  gem  is  suitable  for  seculars,  it  is  absolutely  neces 
sary  for  ecclesiastics.  Among  the  virtues  that  St.  Paul 
prescribes  to  Timothy,  he  recommended  chastity  in  a 
special  manner:  Keep  thyself  chaste?  Origen  says  that 
chastity  is  the  first  virtue  with  which  a  priest  that  goes 
to  the  altar  should  be  adorned.3  Clement  of  Alexandria 
has  written  that  only  they  that  lead  a  chaste  life  are 
and  can  be  called  priests.4  Hence,  then,  as  purity  con 
stitutes  priests,  so,  on  the  other  hand,  incontinence  robs 
them,  as  it  were,  of  their  dignity,  says  St.  Isidore.0 

Hence  the  holy  Church  has  always  endeavored  by  so 
many  Councils,  laws,  and  admonitions  to  guard  with 
jealousy  the  chastity  of  her  priests.  Innocent  III.  made 
the  following  ordinance:  "  No  one  is  to  be  allowed  to  be 
ordained  priest  unless  he  is  a  virgin  or  his  chastity  has 
been  proved.'"  He  also  commanded  that  the  incon 
tinent  priest  should  be  excluded  "  from  all  ecclesias 
tical  dignities."  7  St.  Gregory  ordained:  "  He  that  has 
fallen  into  a  carnal  sin  after  ordination  should  be  de 
prived  so  far  of  his  office,  that  he  be  not  permitted  to 
perform  any  function  at  the  altar."'  Besides,  he  or 
dained,9  that  if  a  priest  committed  a  sin  against  purity, 
he  should  do  penance  for  ten  years.  For  the  first  three 

1  "Gemma  pretiosissima,  a  paucis  inventa." — De  Virginit. 

2  "  Teipsum  castum  custodi." — i  Tim.  v.  22. 

3  "Ante  omnia  Sacerdos,  qui  divinis  assistit  altaribus,  castitate  debit 
accingi." — In  Levit.  horn.  4. 

4  "Soli  qui  puram  agunt  vitam,  sunt  Dei  Sacerdotes." — Strom.  1.  4. 

"  Si  pudicitia  Sacerdotes  creat,  libido  Sacerdotibus  dignitatem  abro- 
gat."—£f>ist.  1.  3,  ep.  75- 

"  Nemo  ad  sacrum  Ordinem  permittatur  accedere,  nisi  aut  virgo  aut 
probatae  castitatis  existat." — Cap.  A  Mtdtis.  DC  cct.  et  qua  I.  ord. 
7  "  Ab  omnium  graduum  dignitate." 

"Qui,  post  acceptum  sacrum  Ordinem,  lapsus  in  peccatum  carnis 
fuerit,  sacro  Ordine  ita  careat,  ut  ad  altaris  ministerium  ulterius  non 
accedat." — Cap.  Pervenit.  dist.  50. 
9  Cap. presbyter,  dht.  82. 


CHAP,  vi.]  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  109 

months  he  should  sleep  on  the  ground,  remain  in  soli 
tude,  have  no  intercourse  with  any  person,  and  should 
be  deprived  of  Communion.  He  should  then  fast  every 
day  for  a  year  and  a  half  on  bread  and  water,  and  for 
the  remainder  of  the  ten  years  he  should  continue  to 
fast  on  bread  and  water  only  on  three  days  in  the  week. 
In  a  word,  the  Church  regards  as  a  monster  the  priest 
that  does  not  lead  a  life  of  chastity. 

II. 
Malice  of  Impurity  in  the  Priest. 

Let  us,  in  the  first  place,  examine  the  malice  of  the  sin 
of  a  priest  who  violates  chastity.  A  priest  is  the  temple 
of  God,  as  well  by  the  vow  of  chastity  as  by  the  sacred 
unction  by  which  he  was  consecrated  to  God.  He  that 
hath  anointed  us  in  God,  who  also  hath  sealed  us.1  Such  is 
the  language  of  St.  Paul,  speaking  of  himself  and  of  his 
associates  in  the  ministry.  Hence  Cardinal  Hugo  has 
said:  "The  priest  should  not  pollute  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Lord,  because  the  oil  of  the  holy  unction  is  poured 
out  upon  him."2  The  body,  then,  of  the  priest  is  the 
sanctuary  of  the  Lord.  "  Keep  thyself  chaste,"  says  St. 
Ignatius,  Martyr,  "  as  a  gift  of  God  and  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. ":  St.  Peter  Damian  says  that  the  priest 
that  denies  his  body  by  impurity  violates  the  temple  of 
God.  He  then  adds:  "  Do  not  change  the  vessels  conse 
crated  to  God  into  vessels  of  contumely."  •  What  would 
you  say  of  the  man  that  should  use  a  consecrated 
chalice  at  table?  Speaking  of  priests,  Innocent  II.  has 

1  "  Unxit  nos  Deus,  qui  et  signavit  nos." — 2  Cor.  i.  21. 

2  "  Sacerdos  ne  polluat  sanctuarium  Domini;  quia  oleum  sanctae  unc- 
tionis  super  eum  est." 

3  "  Teipsum  castum  custodi,  ut  domum  Dei,  templum  Christi." — Ep. 
ad  Heron.  Diac. 

4  "  Nonne  templum  Deiviolant?     Nolite  vasa  Deo    sacrata   in  vasa 
contumeliae  vertere." — Opusc.  18,  d.  2,  c.  47. 


iio  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

said:  "  Since  they  should  be  the  temples  of  the  sanctu 
aries  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  are  disgraced  if  they  be 
come  addicted  to  impurity."  '  How  horrible  to  see  a 
priest  that  should  send  forth  in  every  direction  the  light 
and  odor  of  purity,  become  sordid,  fetid,  and  polluted 
with  sins  of  the  flesh  ?  The  sow  that  was  washed  to  her 
wallowing  in  the  mire?  Hence  Clement  of  Alexandria 
has  written  that  an  unchaste  priest,  as  far  as  in  him  lies, 
contaminates  God  himself,  who  dwells  within  him.3  Of 
this  God  himself  complains  by  the  mouth  of  his  prophet: 
Her  priests  have  despised  My  law,  and  have  despised  My  sanc 
tuaries,  .  .  .  and  I  was  profaned  in  the  midst  of  them  *  Alas! 
says  the  Lord,  by  the  incontinence  of  my  priest,  I,  too, 
am  defiled:  by  violating  chastity  he  pollutes  my  sanc 
tuary,  that  is,  his  body  which  I  have  consecrated,  and  in 
which  I  often  come  to  dwell.  It  was  this  St.  Jerome 
meant  when  he  said:  "We  defile  the  body  of  Christ 
whenever  we  approach  the  altar  unworthily.-"  5 

Besides,  the  priest  on  the  altar  offers  to  God  in  sacri 
fice  the  immaculate  Lamb;  that  is,  the  very  Son  of  God. 
On  this  account,  says  St.  Jerome,  the  priest  should  be 
so  chaste  as  not  only  to  abstain  from  every  impure 
action,  but  also  to  avoid  every  indecent  glance.6  St. 
John^  Chrysostom  likewise  has  written  that  a  priest 
should  have  purity  which  would  make  him  fit  to  stand 

1  "Cum  ipsi  templum  et  sacrarium  Spiritus  Sanctl  debeant  esse,  in- 
dignum  est  eos  immunditiis  deservire." — Cap.  Decernimus.  dist.  28. 

2  "  Sus  lota  in  volutabro  luti  !" — 2  Pet.  ii.  22. 

"  Deum  in  ipsis  habitantem  corrumpunt,  quantum  in  se  est,  et  viti- 
orum  suorum  conjunctione  poluunt."— -Ptrdctg.  1.  2,  c.  10. 

4  "  Sacerdotes  ejus  contempserunt  legem  meam,  et  polluerunt  sanc- 
tuaria  mea;  .   .   .   et  coinquinabor  in  medio  eorum." — Ezech.  xxii.  26. 

5  "  Polluimus  corpus  Christi,  quando  indigni  accedimus  ad  altare." 
— In  Mai.  i.  7. 

6  "  Pudicitia  sacerdotalis,  non  solum  ab  opere  immundo,  sed  etiam 
a  jactu  oculi  sit  libera." — In  Tit.  i.  8,  9. 


CHAP.  vi. i  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  \  1 1 

in  the  midst  of  the  angels  in  heaven.1  And  in  another 
place  he  has  said  that  by  their  purity  the  hands  of  a 
priest,  which  must  touch  the  flesh  of  Jesus  Christ, 
should  be  more  resplendent  than  the  rays  of  the  sun.2 
On  the  other  hand,  St.  Augustine  asks  where  can  a 
man  be  found  so  wicked  as  to  presume  to  touch  the 
most  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar  with  unclean  hands?3 
"  But,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  the  priest  that  dares  to  ascend 
the  altar,  to  handle  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  after  being 
contaminated  with  sins  of  impurity,  is  guilty  of  a  far 
more  enormous  crime."4  "Ah!  priest  of  God,"  exclaims 
St.  Augustine,  "  the  hands  that  you  moisten  with  the 
blood  of  the  Redeemer  do  not  moisten  with  the  sacri 
legious  blood  of  sin."5  Ah!  do  not  allow  the  hands 
which  are  bathed  in  the  blood  of  the  Redeemer,  shed 
one  day  for  the  love  of  you,  to  be  polluted  with  the 
sacrilegious  blood  of  sin. 

Moreover,  -Cassian  says  that  priests  must  not  only 
touch,  but  must  also  eat,  the  sacred  flesh  of  the  Lamb; 
and  therefore  they  should  practise  angelic  purity.6  But 

"  Necesse  est  Sacerdotem  sic  esse  purum,  ut,  in  ipsis  coelis  collo- 
catus,  inter  coelestes  illas  virtutes  medius  staret." — De  Sacerd.  1.  3. 

2  "Quo  solares  radios  non  deberet  excedere  manus  ilia,  quae  hanc 
carnem  tractat?" — In  Matt.  horn.  83. 

3  "  Quis  adeo  impius  erit,  qui  lutosis  manibus  Sacratissimum  Sacra- 
men  tunVtractare  prsesumat?"* 

4  "Audent  Agni  immaculati  sacras  contingere  carnes,  et  intingere 
in  sanguinem  Salvatoris   manus,  quibus   paulo  ante  carnes  attrecta- 
verunt." — Declain.  n.  13. 

5  "  Ne  manus  quae  intinguntur  sanguine  Christi,  polluantur  sanguine 
peccati." — Molina,  Intr.  Sac.  tr.  I,  c.  5,  §  2. 

"  Qua  puritate   oportebit  custodire   castitatem,  quos   necesse   est 
quotidie  sacrosanctis  Agni  carnibus  vesci  !" — De  Can.  Inst.  1.  6,  c.  8. 

*  Instead  of  these  words  we  read  at  the  place  indicated:  "Si  eru- 
bescimus  et  timemus  Eucharistiam  manibus  sordidis  tangere,  plus 
debemus  timere  ipsam  Eucharistiam  in  anima  polluta  suscipere." — 
Serm.  292,  E.  B.  App. — ED. 


1 1  2  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

according  to  Peter  Comestor,  the  priest  who,  while  he  is 
defiled  with  sins  against  chastity,  pronounces  the  words 
of  consecration,  spits,  as  it  were,  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ;  and  in  receiving  the  sacred  body  and  blood  into 
his  polluted  mouth,  he,  as  it  were,  casts  them  into  the 
foulest  mire.1  St.  Vincent  Ferrer  says  that  such  a  priest 
is  guilty  of  a  greater  impiety  than  if  he  threw  the  con 
secrated  host  into  a  sink.2  Here  St.  Peter  Damian  ex 
claims,  and  says,  "  O  priests  !  whose  duty  it  is  to  offer  to 
God  the  immaculate  Lamb,  do  not  first  immolate  your 
self  to  the  devil  by  your  impurities."  ;  Hence  the  saint 
afterwards  calls  the  unchaste  priest  a  victim  of  the 
devils,  on  which  these  cruel  spirits  make  a  most  delici 
ous  feast  in  hell.4  Besides,  the  unchaste  priest  not  only 
brings  himself  to  perdition,  but  he  also  causes  the  dam 
nation  of  many  others.  St.  Bernard  said  that  inconti 
nence  in  ecclesiastics  was  one  of  the  greatest  persecutions 
that  the  Church  could  suffer.  On  the  wrords  of  Ezechias, 
Behold  in  peace  is  my  bitterness  most  bitter?  says  the  holy 
Doctor,  the  Church  has  suffered  much  from  the  sword 
of  the  tyrant  and  from  the  infection  of  heresy,  but  she 
suffers  still  more  from  the  incontinence  of  the  unchaste 
ecclesiastic,  who  by  his  scandals  drags  the  bowels  out  of 
his  own  mother.6  "  How  shameful,"  says  St.  Peter  Da- 

1  "  Qui  sacra  illius  verba  Sacramenti  ore  immundo  profert,  in  faciem 
Salvatoris  spuit;  et  cum  in  os  immundum  sanctisimam  Carnem  ponit, 
earn  quasi  in  lutum  projicit." — Scrni.  38. 

'2  "  Majus  peccatum  est,  quam  si  projiciat  Corpus  Christi  in  cloacam." 

3  "Cur,  o  Sacerdos,  qui  sacrificium  Deo  debes  offerre,  temet  ipsum 
prius  maligno  spiritui  non  vereris  victimam  immolare." — Opus.  1 7,  c.  3. 

4  "  Vos  estis  daemonum  victimae,  ad  seternse  mortis  succidium  des- 
tinatae;  ex  vobis  diabolus,  tamquam  delicatis  dapibus,  pascitur  et  sagi- 
natur." 

5  "Ecce  in  pace  amaritudo  mea  amarissima." — Is.  xxxviii.  17. 

6  "  Amara  prius  in  nece  Martyrum,  amarior  in  conflictu  hsereticorum, 
amarissima  in  moribus  domesticorum.     Pax  est,  et  non  est  pax:   pax 
a  paganis,  pax  ab  haereticis,  sed  non  profecto  a  filiis." — In  Cant.  s.  33. 


CHAP,  vi.]          The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  113 

mian,  "  to  see  a  man  who  preaches  chastity  made  the 
slave  of  lust !"  ' 

III. 
Sad  Effects  of  Impurity. 

Let  us. now  examine  the  evils  that  the  vice  of  incon 
tinence  produces  in  the  soul,  particularly  in  that  of  a 
priest. 

i.  BLINDNESS  OF  THE  SOUL. 

First,  this  sin  blinds  the  soul,  and  makes  her  lose  sight 
of  God  and  of  the  eternal  truths.  "  Chastity,"  says  St. 
Augustine,  "  purifies  the  mind,  and  through  it  men  see 
God."2  But  the  first  effect  of  the  vice  of  impurity  is, 
according  to  St.  Thomas,  blindness  of  the  understand 
ing.  Its  effects  are  thus  described  by  the  saint:  "The 
effects  of  this  impure  vice  are:  blindness  of  the  mind, 
hatred  of  God,  attachment  to  the  present  life,  horror  of 
the  future  life."3  St.  Augustine  has  said  that  impurity 
takes  away  the  thought  of  eternity.4  When  a  raven 
finds  a  dead  body,  its  first  act  is  to  pluck  out  the  eyes; 
and  the  first  injury  that  incontinence  inflicts  on  the  soul 
is  to  take  away  the  light  of  the  things  of  God.  This 
was  felt  by  Calvin,  who  was  first  a  parish  priest, — a 
pastor  of  souls,* — but  afterwards,  by  this  vice,  became 

"Qui  prsedicator  constitutus  es  castitatis,  non  te  pudet  servum 
esse  libidinis!" — S.  ad  Past,  in  syn. 

"Castitas,  mundans  mentes  hominum,  prsestat  videre  Deum." — 
Serin.  291,  E.  B.  app. 

"  Caecitas  mentis,  odium  Dei,  affectus  praesentis  saeculi,  horor  vel 
desperatio  futuri." — 2.  2,  q.  153,  a.  5. 
4  "  Luxuria  futura  non  sinit  cogitare." 


*  John  Calvin  was  provided,  at  the  age  of  twelve,  with  a  chaplaincy 
in    the    church    of   Noyon,   and   afterwards  with   the  curacy  of    Pont 
1'Eveque,  near  this  city,  although  he  was  never  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  the  priesthood.     (Diet.  hist,  de  Feller.) 
8 


114  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

an  heresiarch;  by  Henry  VIII.,  first  the  defender  and 
afterwards  the  persecutor  of  the  Cburch.  This  was 
also  experienced  by  Solomon;  first  a  saint,  and  after 
wards  an  idolater.  The  same  happens  to  the  unchaste 
priest.  They  shall,  says  the  Prophet  Sophonias,  walk  like 
blind  men,  because  they  have  sinned  against  the  Lord.1  Miser 
able  man!  in  the  midst  of  the  light  of  the  Masses  that 
he  celebrates,  of  the  Offices  that  he  recites,  and  of  the 
funerals  that  he  attends,  he  remains  as  blind  as  if  he 
believed  neither  in  death  that  awaits  him,  nor  in  a  future 
judgment,  nor  in  hell  that  he  purchases  by  his  sins. 
Mayest  thou,  says  the  Lord,  grope  at  midday  as  the  Mind  is 
wont  to  grope  in  the  dark?  In  a  word,  he  is  so  blinded  by 
the  fetid  mire  in  which  he  is  immersed,  that  after  having 
forsaken  God  who  has  raised  him  so  much  above  others, 
he  does  not  even  think  of  returning  to  ask  pardon. 
They  will  not,  says  the  Prophet  Osee,  set  their  thoughts  to 
return  to  their  God;  for  the  spirit  of  fornication  is  in  the  midst 
of  them?  Hence  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  that  neither 
the  admonitions  of  Superiors,  nor  the  counsels  of  virtu 
ous  friends,  nor  the  fear  of  chastisements,  nor  the  danger 
of  shame  shall  be  sufficient  to  enlighten  the  unchaste 
priest.4 

No  wonder:  for  he  is  so  blind  that  he  can  no  longer 
see.  Fire  hath  fallen  on  them,  and  they  have  not  seen  the  sun? 
"This  fire  is  no  other  than  the  fire  of  concupiscence,"6 

1  "  Ambulabunt  ut  caeci,  quia  Domino  peccaverunt." — Soph.  i.  17. 

'2  "  Percutiat  te  Dominus  amentia,  et  caecitate,  ac  furore  mentis,  et 
palpes  in  meridie,  sicut  palpare  solet  caecus  in  tenebris,  et  non  dirigas 
vias  tuas." — Deut.  xxviii.  28. 

3  "Non  dabunt  cogitationes  suas,  ut  revertantur  ad  Deum   suum; 
quia  spiritus  fornicationum  in  medio  eorum,  et  Dominum  non  cogno. 
verunt." — Os.  v.  4. 

4  "  Nee  admonitiones,  nee  consilia,  ne  aliquid  aliud  salvare  potest 
animam  libidine  periclitantem." — Horn,  contra  lux. 

5  "  Supercecidit  ignis,  et  non  viderunt  solem." — Ps.  Ivii.  9. 

6  "  'Supercecidit  ignis,'  id  est,  concupiscentiae." — 2.  2,  q.  15,  a.  i. 


CHAP,  vi.]  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  115 

says  St.  Thomas.  Hence  he  afterwards  adds,  "  The  sins 
of  the  flesh  extinguish  the  light  of  reason,  for  carnal 
delectations  cause  the  soul  to  be  drawn  entirely  towards 
the  pleasures  of  the  senses."  '  This  vice,  by  its  beastly 
delectation,  deprives  man  even  of  reason;  so  that,  as 
Eusebius  says,  it  makes  him  become  worse  than  the 
senseless  beast.2  Hence  the  unchaste  priest,  blinded  by 
his  impurities,  shall  no  longer  make  any  account  of  the 
injuries  that  he  does  to  God  by  his  sacrileges,  nor  of  the 
scandal  that  he  gives  to  others.  He  will  even  go  so  far 
as  to  dare  to  say  Mass  in  a  state  of  sin.  No  wonder; 
for  he  that  has  lost  the  light,  easily  abandons  himself  to 
the  commission  of  every  crime. 

Come  ye  to  Him  and  be  enlightened?  He  that  wants  light 
must  draw  near  to  God;  but  because,  according  to  the 
words  of  St.  Thomas,  "  a  thoroughly  impure  man  is 
mostly  removed  from  God,"4  impurity  removes  man  to 
a  great  distance  from  God,  the  unchaste  becomes,  as  it 
were,  senseless  brutes  that  no  longer  apprehend  spiritual 
things.  But  the  sensual  man,  says  St.  Pa.u\,  perceiveth  not 
these  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of  God?  Hell,  eternity, 
and  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood,  no  longer  make  any 
impression  upon  the  incontinent  ecclesiastic:  Heperceiveth 
not!"  Perhaps  he  will,  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  begin  even 
to  entertain  doubts  about  faith:  "Whenever  one  begins 

"  Vitia  carnalia  extinguunt  judicium  rationis.  Delectatio  quse  est 
in  venereis,  totam  animam  trahit  ad  sensibilem  delectationem." — 2.  2, 
q.  53,  a.  6. 

2  "  Luxuria  hominem  pejorem  bestiafacit." — Eusebius,  Ep.  ad  Dam. 
de  morte  Hier, 

3  "Accedite  ad  eum,  et  illuminamini." — Ps.  xxxiii.  6. 

4  "  Per  peccatum  luxuriae,  homo  videtur  maxime  a  Deo  recedere." — 
In  Job  31,  led.  i. 

5  "Animalis  autem  homo  non  percipit  ea  quae  sunt  Spiritus  Dei."- 
I  Cor.  ii.  14. 

6  "  Non  percipit." 


1 1 6  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

to  be  incontinent,  one  begins  to  deviate  from  the  faith."  ' 
Oh!  how  many  miserable  priests  have  by  this  vice  even 
lost  their  faith  ?  His  bones,  says  Job,  shall  be  filled  with  the 
vices  of  his  youth  (the  vices  of  youth  are  impurities),  and 
they  shall  sleep  with  him  in  the  dust?  As  the  light  of  the  sun 
cannot  enter  into  a  vessel  filled  with  earth,  so  the  light 
of  God  cannot  shine  into  a  soul  habituated  to  sins  of 
the  flesh:  her  vices  shall  continue  to  sleep  with  her  till 
death. 

But  as  that  unhappy  soul,  for  the  sake  of  her  impuri 
ties,  forgets  God,  so  shall  he  forget  her,  and  permit  her 
to  remain  abandoned  in  her  darkness.  Because,  says  the 
Lord,  thou  hast  forgotten  Me,  and  hast  cast  Me  off  behind  thy 
body,  bear  thou  also  thy  wickedness  and  thy  fornications*  St. 
Peter  Damian  says,  "  They  throw  the  Lord  behind  their 
bodies  that  obey  the  voice  of  their  passions."4  Father 
Cataneo5  relates  that  a  sinner  who  had  contracted  a 
habit  of  impurity,  when  admonished  by  a  friend  to 
abandon  his  evil  ways,  unless  he  wished  to  be  damned, 
answered:  "  Friend,  I  may  indeed  go  to  hell  for  this 
habit."  He  certainly  went  to  that  place  of  torment,  for 
he  was  suddenly  struck  dead.  A  priest  who  was  found 
in  the  house  of  a  certain  lady  whom  he  went  to  tempt 
was  compelled  by  her  husband  to  take  a  poisonous 
draught.  After  returning  home  he  took  to  his  bed,  and 
mentioned  to  a  friend  the  misfortune  that  had  befallen 
him.  The  friend  seeing  the  miserable  man  so  near  his 
end  exhorted  him  to  go  to  confession.  No,  replied  the 
unhappy  man,  I  cannot  go  to  confession;  this  favor  only 

1  "  Ubicceperit  quis  luxuriari,  incipit  deviate  a  fide  recta." — Epist.?£>. 
"  Ossa  ejus  implebuntur  vitiis  adolescentiae  ejus  et  cum   eo   in 
pulvere  dormient." — fob,  xx.  n. 

3  "  Quia  oblita  es  mei,  et  projecisti  me  post  corpus  tuum,  tu  quoque 
porta  scelus  tuum  et  fornicationes  tuas." — Ezech.  xxiii.  35. 

4  "  Illi  Deum  post  corpus  suum    ponunt,  qui  suarum   obtemperant 
illecebris  voluptatum." — Opusc.  18,  diss.  2,  c.  3. 

5  Eserc.  della  buona  m.  p.  I,  d.  34. 


CHAP,  vi.]  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  \  1 7 

I  ask  of  you, — go  to  such  a  lady,  tell  her  that  I  die  for  the 
love  of  her.     Can  greater  blindness  be  conceived  ? 

2.  OBSTINACY  OF  THE  WILL. 

In  the  second  place,  the  sin  of  impurity  produces  ob 
stinacy  of  the  will.  "  Once  fallen  into  the  snare  of  the 
devil,  one  cannot  so  easily  escape  it,"  says  St.  Jerome.' 
And  according  to  St.  Thomas,  there  is  no  sin  in  which 
the  devil  takes  so  much  delight  as  in  impurity;  because 
the  flesh  is  strongly  inclined  to  that  vice,  and  he  that 
falls  into  it  can  be  rescued  from  it  only  with  difficulty.2 
Hence  the  vice  of  incontinence  has  been  called  by 
Clement  of  Alexandria  "a  malady  without  remedy;"5 
and  by  Tertullian,  "an  incurable  vice."'  Hence  St. 
Cyprian  calls  it  the  mother  of  impenitence.5  "  It  is  im 
possible,"  says  Peter  de  Blois,  u  for  him  that  submits  to 
the  domination  of  the  flesh  to  conquer  carnal  tempta 
tions."  '  Father  Biderman  relates  of  a  young  man,  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  relapsing  into  this  sin,  that  at  the 
hour  of  death  he  confessed  his  sins  with  many  tears  and 
died,  leaving  strong  grounds  to  hope  for  his  salvation. 
But  on  the  following  day  his  confessor,  while  saying 
Mass,  felt  some  one  pulling  the  chasuble;  turning  round 
he  saw  a  dark  cloud,  which  sent  forth  scintillations  of 
fire,  and  heard  a  voice  saying  that  was  the  soul  of  the 
young  man  that  had  died;  that  though  he  had  been  ab 
solved  from  his  sins,  hetwas  again  tempted,  yielded  to  a 
bad  thought,  and  was  damned. 

1  "  Hoc  rete  diaboli,  si  quis  capitur,  non   cito   solvitur." — Eusebius, 
Ep,  ad  Dam.  de  morte  Hier. 

2  "  Diabolus  dicitur  maxima  gaudere  de  peccato  luxuriae,  quia  est 
rnaximse  adhaerentiae,  et  difficile  ab  eo  homo  potest  eripi." — i.  2,  q.  73, 
a.  5. 

3  "  Morbus  immedicabilis." — Pccdag.  1.  2,  c.  10. 

4  "  Vitium  immutabile." 

5  "  Impudicitia  mater  est  impoenitentiae." — De  Disc,  et  Bon.  pud. 

"  Est  fere  impossibile  triumphare  de  carne,  si  ipsa  de  nobis  trium- 
phavit." 


1 1 8  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

The  prophet  and  the  priest  are  defiled.  .  .  .  Therefore  their 
way  shall  be  as  a  slippery  way  in  the  dark  j  for  they  shall  be 
driven  on,  and  fall  therein?  Behold  the  ruin  of  the  un 
chaste  ecclesiastic.  He  walks  on  a  slippery  path,  in  the 
midst  of  darkness,  and  is  impelled  to  the  precipice  by 
the  devils,  and  by  evil  habits.  Hence  it  is  impossible 
for  him  to  escape  destruction.  St.  Augustine  says  that 
they  that  give  themselves  up  to  this  vice  soon  contract 
the  habit  of  it;  and  the  habit  soon  creates,  as  it  were,  a 
necessity  of  sinning.2  The  vulture  rather  than  abandon 
the  carcass  on  which  it  has  begun  to  feed  is  content  to 
wait  to  be  killed  by  the  sportsman.  This  happens  to 
him  that  contracts  a  habit  of  impurity. 

Oh!  how  much  greater  the  obstinacy  produced  in  the 
priest  that  submits  to  the  tyrannical  rule  of  this  vice, 
than  that  which  it  causes  in  seculars!  This  happens 
both  because  the  priest  has  had  greater  light  to  know 
the  malice  of  mortal  sin,  and  because  in  him  impurity  is 
a  greater  sin  than  it  is  in  a  secular.  For  the  unchaste 
priest  not  only  offends  against  chastity,  but  also  against 
religion,  by  violating  his  vow,  and,  generally  speaking, 
he  also  transgresses  against  fraternal  charity.  For  the 
incontinence  of  a  priest  is  almost  always  accompanied 
with  most  grievous  scandal  to  others.  In  his  book  on 
the  "  Last  Things,"  Denis  the  Carthusian  relates  that  a 
servant  of  God,  conducted  in  spirit  to  purgatory,  saw 
there  many  seculars  that  were  suffering  for  sins  against 
purity,  but  very  few  priests.  Having  asked  the  reason, 
he  was  told  that  scarcely  any  unchaste  priest  repents 
sincerely  of  this  sin,  and  that,  therefore,  almost  all  such 
priests  are  damned.3 

1  "  Propheta  et  Sacerdos  polluti  sunt;  .   .   .  idcirco  via  eorum  erit 
quasi  lubricum  in  tenebris;    impellentur  enim,  et  corruent  in  ea."- 
Jcr.  xxiii.  II. 

2  "  Dum  servitur  libidini,  facta  est  consuetude;  et  dum  consuetudini 
non  resistitur,  facta  est  necessitas." — Conf.  1.  8,  c.  5. 

3  "  Vix  aliquis  talium  veram  habet  contritionem;  idcirco  pene  omnes 
seternalher  damnantur." — Quat.  ATov.  p.  3.  a.  13 


CHAP,  vi.]  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  1 19 

3.  ETERNAL  DAMNATION. 

Finally,  this  accursed  vice  leads  all,  and  particularly 
priests  that  are  infected  with  it,  to  eternal  damnation. 
St.  Peter  Damian  says  that  the  altar  of  God  receives  no 
other  fire  than  that  of  divine  love.  Hence  he  that  dares 
to  ascend  the  altar  inflamed  by  the  fire  of  impurity 
is  consumed  by  the  fire  of  divine  vengeance.1  And  in 
another  place  he  says  that  all  the  obscenities  of  the 
sinner  shall  be  one  day  converted  into  pitch,  which  shall 
eternally  nourish  in  his  bowels  the  fire  of  hell.2 

Oh  !  what  vengeance  does  not  the  Lord  inflict  on  the 
unchaste  priest  !  How  many  priests  are  now  in  hell  for 
sins  against  purity  !  "  If,"  says  St.  Peter  Damian,  "  the 
man  in  the  Gospel,  who  came  to  the  marriage  feast  with 
out  the  nuptial  garment,  was  condemned  to  darkness, 
what  then  should  he  expect  who,  admitted  to  the 
mystical  banquet  of  the  divine  Lamb,  neglects  to  adorn 
himself  with  the  brilliant  garb  of  virtues,  and  even  pre 
sents  himself  impregnated  with  the  fetid  odors  of  im 
purity."1  Baronius  relates  that  a  priest  who  had  con 
tracted  a  habit  of  sins  against  chastity  saw  at  death  a 
multitude  of  devils  coming  to  carry  him  away.  He 
turned  to  a  religious  who  was  attending  him,  and  be 
sought  him  to  pray  for  him.  But  soon  after  he  exclaimed 
that  he  was  before  the  tribunal  of  God,  and  cried  aloud: 
"  Cease,  cease  to  pray  for  me,  for  I  am  already  con- 

1  "  Altaria  Domini,  non  alienum,  sed  ignem  dumtaxat  divini  amoris 
accipiunt;    quisquis  igitur  carnalis  concupiscentise  flamma  aestuat,  et 
sacris  assistere  mysteriis  non  formidat,  ille  divinse  ultionis  igne  consu- 
mitur. " — Opusc.  27,  c.  3. 

2  "  Veniet,  veniet  profecto  dies,  imo  nox,  quando  libido  ista  tua  ver- 
tetur  in  picem,  qua  se  perpetuus  ignis  in  tuis  visceribns  inextingui- 
biliter  nutriat." — Opusc.  17,  c.  3. 

3  "Quid  illi  sperandum,  qui,  coelestibus  tricliniis  intromissus,  non 
modo  non  est  spiritalis  indumend  decore  conspicuus,  sed  ultro  etiam 
foetet  sordentis  luxuriae  squalore  perfusus." — Optisc.  18,  d.  i,  c.  4. 


1 20  Material  for  Sermons.  IPART  i. 

demned,  and  your  prayers  can  be  of  no  service  to  me."1 
St.  Peter  Damian  2  relates  that  in  the  city  of  Parma  a 
priest  and  a  woman  with  whom  he  had  sinned  were 
suddenly  struck  dead.  In  the  revelations  of  St.  Bridget3 
we  read  that  an  unchaste  priest  was  killed  by  a  thunder 
bolt;  and  it  was  found  that  the  lightning  had  reduced 
to  ashes  only  the  indelicate  members,  and  left  the  re 
mainder  of  the  body  untouched,  as  if  to  show  that  it 
was  principally  for  incontinence  that  God  had  inflicted 
this  chastisement  upon  him.  Another  priest  in  our  own 
time  died  suddenly  in  the  act  of  committing  a  sin  against 
chastity,  and  for  his  greater  infamy  was  exposed  in  the 
court  of  the  church.  The  unchaste  priest  dishonors  the 
Church,  and  therefore  the  Lord  justly  chastises  him  by 
making  him  the  most  dishonored  of  all  men.  Thus, 
speaking  of  priests,  God  says,  by  the  Prophet  Malachy, 
But  you  have  departed  out  of  the  way,  and  have  caused  many 
to  stumble  at  the  law.  .  .  .  Therefore  I  also  made  you  con 
temptible,  and  base  before  all  people? 

IV. 
Remedies  for  Incontinence. 

The  spiritual  masters  point  out  many  remedies  for  the 
vice  of  impurity;  but  the  principal  and  the  most  neces 
sary  are  the  flight  of  occasions,  and  prayer.  As  to  the 
first  means,  St.  Philip  Neri  used  to  say  that  in  this  war 
fare  cowards,  that  is,  they  that  avoid  dangerous  occa 
sions,  gain  the  victory.  Let  a  man  use  all  other  possible 

1  "  Cessa  pro  me  orare,  pro  quo  nullatenus  exaudieris." — Anno  noo, 
n.  24. 

2  Epist.  1.  5,  ep.  16. 

3  Rev.  \,  2,  c.  2. 

4  "  Vos  autem  recessistis  de  via,  et  scandalizastis  plurimos  in  lege; 
.   .   .  propter  quod  et  ego  dedi  vos  contemptibiles  et  humiles  omnibus 
populis." — Mai.  ii.  8. 


CHAP,  vi.]  The  Sin  of  Incontinence.  \  2 1 

means,  unless  he  flies  away  he  is  lost.  He  that  loveth 
danger  shall  perish  in  it.1 

As  to  the  second  means,  it  is  necessary  to  know  that 
we  have  not  strength  to  resist  temptations  of  the  flesh. 
This  strength  must  be  the  gift  of  God.  But  God  grants 
it  to  those  only  that  pray  and  ask  for  it.  The  only 
defence  against  this  temptation,  says  St.  Gregory  of 
Nyssa,  is  prayer.2  And  before  him  the  Wise  Man 
said:  And  as  I  knew  that  I  could  not  otherwise  be  con 
tinent,  except  God  gave  it,  .  .  .  /  went  to  the  Lord  and  be 
sought  Him? 

[They  that  desire  more  information  on  the  means  of 
overcoming  sins  of  the  flesh,  and  especially  on  the  two 
means  above  mentioned, — the  avoidance  of  occasions, 
and  prayer, — should  read  the  instruction  on  chastity  in 
the  second  part  of  this  work.] 

1  "  Qui  amat  periculum,  in  illo  peribit." — Ecclus.  iii.  27. 

2  "  Oratio  pudicitiae  presidium  est." — De  or.  Dom.  or.  I. 

3  "  Et  ut  scivi  quoniam  aliter  nom  possem  esse  continens,  nisi  Deus 
det,   .   .   .  adii  Dominum,  et  deprecatus  sum   ilium." — Wisd.  viii.  21. 


122  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i- 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    SACRILEGIOUS    MASS. 


Purity  Required  in  the  Priest  to  Celebrate  Worthily. 

"WE  must  needs  confess,"  says  the  holy  Council  of 
Trent,  "  that  no  other  work  can  be  performed  by  the 
faithful  so  holy  and  divine  as  this  tremendous  mystery 
itself."  '  God  himself  could  not  enable  man  to  perform 
a  more  sublime  or  sacred  action  than  the  celebration  of 
Mass.  Oh!  how  much  more  excellent  than  all  the 
ancient  sacrifices  is  our  sacrifice  of  the  altar,  in  which 
we  immolate  not  an  ox,  nor  a  lamb,  but  the  very  Son  of 
God?  The  Jews,  says  St.  Peter  of  Cluni,  had  an  ox; 
the  Christians  have  Christ:  the  sacrifice  of  the  latter  as 
far  transcends  that  of  the  former,  as  Christ  is  more  ex 
cellent  than  an  ox.2  The  same  author  adds,  that  to 
servants  a  servile  victim  was  suited,  but  for  friends  and 
children  was  reserved  Jesus  Christ — a  victim  that  has 
delivered  us  from  sin  and  eternal  death.3  Justly,  then, 
has  St.  Laurence  Justinian  said,  that  there  is  no  oblation 
greater,  more  profitable  to  us,  or  more  pleasing  to  God, 
than  the  offering  that  is  made  in  the  sacrifice  of  the 
Mass.4 

1  "  Necessario  fatemur  nullum  aliud  opus  adeo  sanctum  a  Christ! 
fidelibus  tractari  posse,  quam  hoc  tremendum  mysterium." — Sess.  22, 
Deer,  de  observ.  in  Miss  a. 

2  "  Habuit    bovem    Judseus,   habet    Christum     Christianus,     cujus 
sacrificium  tanto  excellentius  est,  quanto  Christus  bove  major  est." 

a  "Congrua  tune  fuit  servilis  hostia  servis;  servata  est  liberatrix 
victima  jam  filiis  et  amicis." — Ep.  contra  Petrobr. 

4  "  Qua  oblatione  nulla  major,  nulla  utilior,  nulloque  oculis  Divinae 
Majestatis  est  gratior." — Serin,  dc  Euchar. 


CHAP,  v  i.]         The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  123 

According  to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  during  the  cele 
bration  of  Mass  the  altar  is  surrounded  by  angels,  who 
are  present  to  pay  homage  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  victim 
offered  in  sacrifice.1  And  St.  Gregory  asks,  "  who  doubts 
that  at  the  very  hour  of  immolation,  at  that  voice  of  the 
priest,  the  heavens  are  opened  and  the  choirs  of  angels 
are  present  at  that  mystery  of  Jesus  Christ?""  St. 
Augustine  says  that  the  angels  assist  as  servants  to  the 
priest  who  offers  the  sacrifice.3 

Now  the  Council  of  Trent  teaches  that  Jesus  Christ 
himself  was  the  first  that  offered  this  great  sacrifice  of 
his  body  and  blood,  and  that  he  now  offers  himself  by 
the  hands  of  a  priest  chosen  to  be  his  minister  and  rep 
resentative  on  the  altar.4  St.  Cyprian  says  that  "  the 
priest  truly  holds  the  place  of  Christ,"  5  and  that,  there 
fore,  at  the  consecration,  he  says  This  is  My  body:  this  is 
the  chalice  of  My  blood?  To  his  disciples  Jesus  himself 
said,  He  that  heareth  you,  heareth  Me;  and  he  that  despise  th 
you,  despise  th  Me? 

The  priests  of  the  Old  Law  the  Lord  commanded  to 
be  clean,  merely  because  it  was  their  duty  to  carry 
the  sacred  vessels:  Be  ye  clean, you  tliat  carry  the  vessels 
of  the  Lord?  "How  much  more  clean,"  says  Peter  de 

1  "Locus  altari  vicinus  plenus  est  Angelorum  choris,  in  honorem 
illius  qui  immolatur." — De  Sacerd.  1.  6. 

2  "Quis  fidelium  habere  dubium  possit,  in  ipsa  immolationis  hora, 
ad  Sacerdotis  vocem  coelos  aperiri,   et  in  illo  Jesu  Christi  mysterio 
Angelorum  choros  adesse  ?" — Dial.  \.  4,  c.  58. 

3  "  Sacerdos  enim  hoc  ineffabile  ccnficit  mysterium,  et  Angeli  con- 
ficienti  sibi  quasi  famuli  assistunt." — Molina,  Instr.  Sac.  tr.  i,  c.  5,  §  2. 

4  "  Idem  nunc  offerens  Sacerdotum  ministerio,    qui  seipsum   tune 
in  cruce  obtulit." — Sess.  22,  cap.  2. 

5  "Sacerdos  vice  Christi  vere  fungitur." — Epist.  62. 

6  "  Hoc  est  corpus  meum;  hie  est  calix  sanguinis  mei." 

7  "Qui  vos  audit,  me  audit;  qui  vos  spernit,  me  spernit." — Luke, 
x.  16. 

8  "  Mundamini,  qui  fertis  vasa  Domini." — Is.  lii.  n. 


1 24  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  j. 

Blois,  "  should  they  be  who  carry  Christ  in  their  hands 
and  in  their  body?"1  How  much  greater  purity  shall 
God  demand  from  the  priests  of  the  New  Law,  who 
must  represent  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ  on  the  altar, 
in  offering  to  the  eternal  Father  his  own  very  Son  ! 
Justly,  then,  does  the  Council  of  Trent  require  that 
priests  celebrate  this  sacrifice  with  the  greatest  possible 
purity  of  conscience:  "It  is  also  sufficiently  clear,  that 
all  industry  and  diligence  are  to  be  applied  to  this  end, 
that  it  be  performed  with  the  greatest  possible  inward 
cleanness  and  purity  of  heart."2  This,  says  the  Abbot 
Rupert,  is  what  is  signified  by  the  Alb  with  which  the 
Church  commands  the  priest  to  be  covered  from  head  to 
foot  in  the  celebration  of  the  holy  mysteries.3 

It  is  but  just  that  priests  should  honor  God  by  inno 
cence  of  life,  since  he  has  honored  them  so  much  above 
others,  by  making  them  the  ministers  of  this  great 
mystery.  "  Behold,  O  priests,"  says  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi,  "your  dignity;  and  as  the  Lord  has  honored  you 
•on  account  of  this  mystery,  so  be  careful  on  your  part 
to  love  and  to  honor  him.'"  But  how  shall  a  priest 
honor  God?  Is  it  by  the  costliness  or  vanity  of  his 
dress  ?  No,  says  St.  Bernard,  but  by  sanctity  of  life,  by 
the  study  of  the  sacred  sciences,  and  by  labor  in  holy 
works.5 

1  "  Quanto  mundiores  esse  oportet,  qui  in  manibus  et  in  corpora 
portant  Christum!" — Epist.  123.- 

2  "  Satis  apparet  omnem  operam  et  diligentiam    in  eo  ponendam 
esse,  ut  quanta  maxima  fieri  potest  interiori  cordis    munditia  pera- 
gatur." — Sess.  22,  Deer,  de  obs.  in  Missa. 

3  "  Candorem  significat  vitse  innocentis,  quse  a  Sacerdote  debet  in- 
cipere." 

4  "  Videte  dignitatem  vestram,  Sacerdotes;    et  sicut  super  omnes, 
propter  hoc  mysterium,   honoravit  vos  Dominus,   ita  et  vos  diligite 
eum  et  honorate." — Op.  p.  i,  ep.  12. 

5  "  Honorificabitis  autem,  non  cultu  vestium,  sed  ornatis  moribus, 
studiis  spiritualibus,  operibus  bonis." — De  Mor.  et  Off.  Episc.  c.  2. 


CHAP,  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  125 

II. 

How  Great  is  the  Crime  of  the  Priest  that   Celebrates  Mass 
in  Mortal  Sin. 

But  does  the  priest  that  celebrates  in  mortal  sin  give 
honor  to  God  ?  As  far  as  regards  himself,  he  treats  the 
Lord  with  the  greatest  dishonor  that  can  be  offered  to 
him,  by  despising  him  in  his  own  person.  For  by  his 
sacrilege  he  appears,  as  far  as  in  him  lies,  to  defile  the 
immaculate  Lamb,  whom  he  immolates  in  the  conse 
crated  host.  To  yon,  O  priests,  says  the  Lord  by  the 
Prophet  Malachy,  who  despise  My  name,  .  .  .  you  offer 
polluted  bread  upon  My  altar,  and  you  say,  wherein  have  we 
polluted  Thee  ?l  "  We,"  says  St.  Jerome,  in  his  comment 
on  this  passage,  "  pollute  the  bread,  that  is,  the  body 
of  Christ,  when  we  unworthily  approach  the  altar.2 

God  cannot  raise  a  man  to  a  greater  elevation  than  by 
conferring  on  him  the  sacerdotal  dignity.  How  many 
selections  must  the  Lord  have  made  in  calling  a  person  to 
the  priesthood.  First,  he  must  select  him  from  a  count 
less  number  of  possible  creatures.  He  must  then  separate 
him  from  so  many  millions  of  pagans  and  heretics,  and, 
lastly,  he  must  make  choice  of  him  from  the  immense 
multitude  of  the  faithful.  And  what  power  does  God 
confer  on  this  man  ?  If  the  Lord  bestowed  only  on  one 
man  the  power  of  calling  down  by  his  words  the  Son  of 
God  from  heaven,  how  great  should  be  his  obligations 
and  his  gratitude  to  the  Lord  !  This  power  God  grants 
to  every  priest.  Lifting  up  the  poor  out  of  the  dunghill,  that 
he  may  place  him  with  princes,  with  the  princes  of  his  people? 

1  "  Ad  vos,  o  Sacerdotes,  qui  despicitis  nomen  meum!  .   .   .   Offertis 
super  altare  meum  panem  pollutum,  et  dicitis:  In  quo  polluimus  te?" 
—Mai.  i.  6. 

2  "Polluimus  panem,  id  est,  corpus  Christi,  quando  indigni  accedi- 
mus  ad  altare." 

3  "  De  stercore  erigens  pauperem,  ut  collocet  eum  cum  principibus 
populi  sui." — Ps.  cxii.  6. 


126  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

The  number  of  persons  to  whom  God  has  given  this  power 
does  not  diminish  the  dignity  or  the  obligations  of  the 
priesthood.  But  what  does  the  priest  do  that  celebrates 
in  the  state  of  sin  ?  He  dishonors  and  despises  the 
Lord,  by  declaring  that  so  great  a  sacrifice  is  not  deserv 
ing  of  the  reverence  which  would  make  him  dread  the 
sacrilegious  oblation  of  it,  says  St.  Cyril.1 

The  hand,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  that  touches  the 
sacred  flesh  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  tongue  that  is  pur 
pled  with  his  divine  blood,  should  be  purer  than  the 
rays  of  the  sun.2  In  another  place  he  says  that  a  priest 
ascending  the  altar  should  be  possessed  of  purity  and 
sanctity  which  would  merit  for  him  a  place  in  the  midst 
of  the  angels.3  How  great,  then,  must  be  the  horror  of 
the  angels  when  they  behold  a  priest,  who  is  the  enemy 
of  God,  stretching  forth  his  sacrilegious  hands  to  touch 
and  eat  the  immaculate  Lamb  !  "  Who,"  exclaims  St. 
Augustine,  ''shall  be  so  wicked  and  daring  as  to  touch 
the  most  holy  sacrament  with  polluted  hands!"  4  Still 
more  wicked  is  the  priest  that  celebrates  Mass  with  a 
soul  defiled  by  mortal  sin.  God  turns  away  his  eyes 
that  he  may  not  behold  such  horrible  impiety.  When, 
says  the  Lord,jy<?#  stretch  forth  your  hands,  I  will  turn 
away  My  eyes,  .  .  .  .  for  your  hands  are  full  of  blood?  To 
express  the  disgust  that  he  feels  at  the  sight  of  such 

1  "  Qui  non  adhibet  honorem  quern  debet  altari  sancto,  factis  testa- 
tur  illud  esse  contemptibile." — Molina,  Instr.  Sacerd.  tr.  2,  c.  18,  §  I. 

2  "Quo  igitur  solari  radio  non  puriorem  esse  oportet  manum  car- 
nem  hanc  dividentem,    linguam   quse    tremendo   nimis  sanguine  ru- 
bescit?" — Ad  pop.  Ant.  honi.  60. 

3  "  Nonne  accedentem  ad  altare  Sacerdotem  sic  parum  esse  oportet, 
ut,  si  in  ipsis  coelis  esset  collocatus,  inter  coelestes  illas  virtutes  me- 
dius  staret." — De  Sacerd.  \.  3. 

4  "  Quis    adeo    impius    erit,     qui    lutosis    manibus    sacratissimum 
Sacramentum  tractare  prresumat?" 

5  "  Cum  extenderitis  manus  vestras,  avertam  oculos  meos  a  vobis." 
-Is.  i.  15. 


CHAP  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  127 

sacrilegious  priests,  the  Lord  declares  that  he  will  scatter 
the  dung  of  their  sacrifices  over  their  faces:  I  will  scatter 
upon  your  face  the  dung  of  your  solemnities^  It  is  true,  as 
the  Council  of  Trent  teaches,  that  the  holy  sacrifice 
cannot  be  contaminated  by  the  malice  of  priests.2  How 
ever,  priests  who  celebrate  in  the  state  of  sin  defile,  as 
far  as  in  them  lies,  the  sacred  mystery;  and  therefore  the 
Lord  declares  that  he  is,  as  it  were,  polluted  by  their 
abominations.  Her  priests  have  defiled  My  sanctuaries, 
.  .  .  and  I  was  profaned  in  the  midst  of  them? 
Alas!  O  Lord,  exclaims  St.  Bernard,  how  does  it 
happen  that  some  of  those  that  hold  a  high  place  in  your 
Church  are  the  first  to  persecute  you!4  This  is,  indeed, 
too  true,  as  St.  Cyprian  says,  that  a  priest  who  cele 
brates  Mass  in  the  state  of  sin  insults  with  his  mouth 
and  hands  the  very  body  of  Christ.5  Another  author, 
Peter  Comeston,  adds,  that  the  priest  who  pronounces 
the  words  of  consecration  in  the  state  of  sin  spits,  as  it 
were,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  when  he  receives 
the  most  holy  sacrament  into  his  unhallowed  mouth  he, 
as  it  were,  casts  the  body  and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  into 
the  mire/'  But  why  do  I  say  that  he  casts  Jesus  Christ 
into  the  mire  ?  The  soul  of  a  priest  in  sin  is  worse  than 
mire;  and,  as  Theophilactus  says,  the  mire  is  not  so  un- 

1  "  Dispergam  super  vultum  vestrum  stercus  solemnitatum  vestra- 
rum." — Mai.  ii.  3. 

2  "  Hsec  quidem  ilia  munda  oblatio  est,  quffi  nulla  malitia  offeren- 
tium  inquinari  potest." — Sess.  22,  cap.  i. 

3  "  Coinquinabar  in  medio  eorum." — Ezech.  xxii.  26. 

4  "  Heu,  Domine,  Deus,  quia  ipsi  sunt  in  persecutione  tua  primi, 
qui  videntur  in  Ecclesia  tua  gerere  principatum." — /;/  Conv.  S.  Fzi'Ji 
s.  i. 

5  "  Vis  infertur  corpori  Domini;  in   Dominum  manibus  atque  ore 
delinquunt." — Serin,  de.  Lapsis. 

6  '  Qui  sacra    illius  verba    Sacramenti    ore    immundo    profert,    in 
faciem  Salvatoris  spuit;  et  cum  in  os    immundum  sanctissimum  car- 
nem  ponit,  eum  quasi  in  lutum  projicitV — Serm.  38. 


128  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

worthy  of  receiving  the  divine  flesh  as  the  heart  of  a 
sacrilegious  priest.1  The  sacrilegious  priest,  then,  says 
St.  Vincent  Ferror,  is  guilty  of  greater  impiety  than  if 
he  cast  the  most  holy  sacrament  into  a  sink.2  Such,  too, 
is  the  doctrine  of  St.  Thomas  of  Villanova.3 

The  sins  of  a  priest  are  always  most  grievous  on 
account  of  the  injury  that  they  do  to  God,  who  has 
chosen  him  for  his  own  minister,  and  has  heaped  so 
many  favors  upon  him.  It  is  one  thing,  says  St. 
Peter  Damian,  to  violate  the  laws  of  a  sovereign,  and 
another  to  strike  him  with  your  own  hands.  This  is 
what  the  priest  does  that  offers  sacrifice  in  the  state  of 
mortal  sin.  "  It  is  one  thing  to  transgress  edicts  which 
the  king  has  promulgated,  and  another  to  wound  him 
with  our  own  hands.  No  one  sins  more  grievously  than 
the  priest  that  offers  sacrifice  unworthily.  When  we  sin 
in  any  other  way  we,  as  it  were,  injure  God  in  his  prop 
erty,  but  when  we  unworthily  offer  sacrifice  we  dare  to 
lay  violent  hands  upon  his  person.4  This  was  the  sin  of 
the  Jews  who  had  the  daring  audacity  to  offer  violence 
to  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  St.  Augustine  teaches 
that  the  sin  of  the  priest  that  offers  sacrifice  unworthily 
is  still  more  grievous:  "Those  that  unworthily  offer 
Jesus  Christ  in  heaven  sin  more  grievously  than  the 
Jews  who  crucified  him  when  he  wras  upon  earth.5  The 

1  "  Lutum  non  adeo  indignum  est  corpore  divino,  quam  indignaest 
carnis  tuae  impuritas." — In  Pleb.  10,  16. 

2  "  Majus  peccatum   est,  quam  si   projiceret  corpus   Christi  in  clo- 
acam." 

3  "Quantum   flagitium   sit   in    spurcissimam    pectoris    tui    cloacam 
Christi  sanguinem  fundere." — De  Sacram.  alt.  cone.  3. 

4  "  Aliud    est    promulgata  edicta    negligere,    aliud     ipsum    regem 
vibrato  propriae  manus  jaculo  sanciare.     Deterius  nemo  peccat,  quam 
Sacerdos  qui  indigne  sacrificat:  aliter  in  quocumque  modo  peccantes, 
quasi  Dominum  in  rebus  ejus  offendimus;  indigne  vero  sacrificantes, 
velut  in  personam  ejus  manus  injicere  non  timemus." — Opusc.  26,  c.  2. 

5  "  Minus  peccaverunt  Judaei  crucifigen'es  in  terra  deambulantem, 
quam  qui  contemnunt  in  coelo  sedentem.'' — In  Ps.  68,  s.  2. 


CHAP  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  129 

Jews  did  not  know  the  Redeemer  as  priests  do.  Besides, 
as  Tertullian  says,  the  Jews  lay  hands  on  Jesus  Christ 
only  once,  but  the  sacrilegious  priest  dares  frequently 
to  repeat  this  injurious  treatment.1  It  is  also  necessary 
to  remark,  that,  according  to  the  doctrine  of  theologians, 
a  priest  by  the  sacrilegious  celebration  of  Mass  is  guilty 
of  four  mortal  sins:  i.  Because  he  consecrates  in  the 
state  of  sin,  2  Because  he  communicates  in  the  state  of 
sin,  3  Because  he  administers  the  sacrament  in  the  state 
of  sin;  and,  4  Because  he  administers  it  to  an  unworthy 
person,  that  is,  to  himself,  who  is  in  mortal  sin.* 

This  made  St.  Jerome  foam,  through  zeal,  against  the 
Deacon  Sabinian.  "  Miserable  wretch  !"  said  the  holy 
Doctor,  "  how  has  it  happened  that  your  eyes  have  not 
grown  dim,  that  your  tongue  has  not  been  twisted, 
that  your  arms  have  not  fallen  to  the  ground  when  you 
dared  to  assist  at  the  altar  in  the  state  of  sin."2  St. 
John  Chrysostom  teaches  that  a  priest  that  approaches 
the  altar  with  a  soul  stained  with  mortal  sin  is  far 
worse  than  a  devil.3  For  the  devils  tremble  in  the  pres 
ence  of  Jesus  Christ  We  read  in  the  life  of  St.  Teresa 
that  when  she  was  going  to  Communion  one  day  she 
saw  with  terror  a  devil  on  each  side  of  the  priest  who 
celebrated  Mass  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin.  The  devils 
trembled  in  the  presence  of  the  holy  sacrament,  and 
manifested  a  desire  to  fly  away.  From  the  consecrated 
Host  Jesus  said  to  the  saint,  "  Behold  the  force  of  the 
words  of  consecration,  and  see,  O  Teresa,  my  goodness 

1  "  Semel  Judaei  Christo  manus  intulerunt  ;  isti  quotidie  corpus  ejus 
lacessunt.     O  manus  praescindendae!" — De  Idol. 

2  '  Miser  '  non  caligaverunt  oculi  tui,  lingua  torpuit,  conciderunt 
brachia  !" — Ep.  ad  Sabian. 

3  "  Multo    daemonic    pejor   est,   qui,    peccati   conscius,    accedit   ad 
altare." — In  Matt.  horn.  83. 

*  Cfr.  our  Moral  Theology,  1.  6,  n.  35,  and  V.  Hinc  dicimus^ 
9 


1 30  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

• 

which  makes  me  willing  to  place  myself  in  the  hands  of 
my  enemy  for  your  welfare,  and  for  the  welfare  of  every 
Christian  !"  j  The  devils  then  tremble  before  Jesus  in 
the  holy  sacrament;  but  the  sacrilegious  priest  not  only 
does  not  tremble,  but,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  he 
audaciously  tramples  on  the  Son  of  God  in  his  own  per 
son.2  In  the  sacrilegious  priest  are  verified  the  words 
of  the  Apostle:  How  much  more  do  you  think  he  deserveth 
worse  punishments  who  hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of 
God,  and  hath  esteemed  the  blood  of  the  testament  unclean  by 
which  he  was  sanctified '?*  Then,  in  the  presence  of  that 
God  at  whose  beck  the  pillars  of  heaven  tremble,  and  the 
whole  earth  and  all  things  in  it  are  moved?  a  worm  of  the 
earth  dares  to  trample  on  the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  ! 
But,  alas  !  what  greater  calamity  can  befall  a  priest 
than  to  change  redemption  into  perdition;  sacrifice  into 
sacrilege,  and  life  into  death  ?  Great,  indeed,  was  the 
impiety  of  the  Jews  who  drew  blood  from  the  side  of 
Jesus  Christ;  but  far  greater  is  the  impiety  of  the  priest 
who  receives  from  the  chalice  the  same  blood  and  in 
sults  it.  Such  is  the  thought  of  Peter  de  Blois;  he  adds, 
while  borrowing  the  words  of  St.  Jerome:  "  Shame  on 
the  perfidious  Jew;  shame  on  the  perfidious  Christian  : 
the  Jew  caused  the  blood  to  flow  from  the  side  of  Christ; 
the  Christian,  the  priest,  causes  the  same  blood  to  flow 
from  the  chalice  in  order  to  profane  it."  5  Of  such  priests 
our  Lord  complained  one  day  to  St.  Bridget,  saying, 

1  Life,  ch.  38. 

2  "  Quando  qui  particeps  est  cum  ipso  in  mysteriis,  peccatum  com- 
mittit,  non  eum  concnlcat." — /;/  Hcb.  hom.-2O. 

3  "  Quanto  majus  putatis  deteriora  mereri  supplicia,  qui  Filium  Dei 
conculcaverit,  et  sanguinem  testament!  pollutum  duxerit,  in  quo  sanc- 
tificatus  est?" — Heb.  x.2O. 

4  "  Columnse  coeli  contremiscunt." — Job,  xxvi.  n. 

5  "  Quam  perditus  ergo  est,  qui  redemptionem  in  perditionem,  qui 
sacrificium  in  sacrilegium,  qui  vitam  convertit  in  mortem  !     Verbum 
beati  Hieronymi  est:   '  Perfidus  Jndseus,  perfidus  Christianus,  ille  de 
latere,  isle  de  calice,  sanguinem  Christi  Cuditl'" — Egist.  123. 


CHAP,  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  131 

"  They  crucify  my  body  more  cruelly  than  the  Jews 
did."  '  A  learned  author  says  that  the  priest  who  cele 
brates  in  the  state  of  sin  is  guilty,  as  it  were,  of  mur 
dering  before  the  eyes  of  the  eternal  Father  his  own 
Son.2 

Oh  !  what  an  impious  treason.  Behold  how  Jesus 
Christ  complains,  by  the  mouth  of  David,  of  the  sacri 
legious  priest:  For  if  My  enemy  had  reviled  Me  2  would 
verily  have  borne  with  it,  .  .  .  but  thou,  a  man  of  one  mind, 
and  My  familiar,  who  didst  take  sweetmeats  together  with 
Me?  Behold  an  exact  description  of  a  priest  who  offers 
Mass  in  the  state  of  sin.  If  my  enemy,  said  the  Lord, 
had  insulted  me,  I  would  have  borne  the  offence  with 
less  pain;  but  you  whom  I  have  made  my  familiar,  my 
minister,  a  prince  among  my  people,  to  whom  I  have  so 
often  given  my  flesh  for  food — you  have  sold  me  to  the 
devil  for  the  indulgence  of  passion,  for  a  beastly  gratifi 
cation,  for  a  little  earth.  Of  this  sacrilegious  treason 
the  Lord  complained  to  St.  Bridget:  "Such  priests,"  he 
said,  "are  not  my  priests,  but  real  traitors;  for,  like 
Judas,  they  sell  and  betray  me."4  St.  Bernardine  of 
Sienna  teaches  that  such  priests  are  even  worse  than 
Judas;  because  Judas  betrayed  the  Saviour  to  the  Jews, 
but  they  deliver  him  up  to  devils  by  receiving  him  into 
their  sacrilegious  breasts,  which  are  ruled  by  devils.5 

1  "  Corpus  meum   amarius    crucifigunt,  quam   Judaei." — Rev.  1.  4, 
c.  133- 

2  "  Ne,  si  peccatis  obnoxii   offerunt,  eorum  oblatio   sit   quasi  qui 
victimat  Filium  in  conspectu  Patris." — Durant.  De  Rit.  Eccl.  1.  2.  c. 
42,  §  4- 

3  "  Quoniam,    si    inimicus    meus    maledixisset    mihi,    sustinuissem 
utique;  .   .   .  tu  vero,  homo  unanimis,  dux  meus  et  notus  meus,  qui 
simul  mecum  dulces  capiebas  cibos  !" — Ps.  liv.  13. 

4  "Tales  Sacerdotes  non  sunt  mei  Sacerdotes,  sed  veri  proditores 
ipsi  enim  et  me  vendunt  quasi  Judas." — Rev.  1.  I,  c.  47. 

5  "  Juda  traditore  deteriores  effecti,  eo  quod,  sicut  ille  tradidit  Jesum 
Judseis,   sic  isti  tradunt  diabolis,  eo  quod  ilium  ponunt  in  loco  sub 
potestate  d.iaboji  conjstitu.to." — T.  II.  s.  55,  a.  I,  c.  3. 


132  Material  for  Sermons.  IP  ART  i. 

Peter  Comestor  observes  that  when  a  sacrilegious  priest 
begins  the  prayer  Aufer  a  nobis  iniquitates  nostras,  etc. 
("Take  away  from  us  our  iniquities,  etc."),  and  kisses 
the  altar,  Jesus  appears  to  reproach  him,  and  say: 
Judas,  do  you  betray  me  with  a  kiss?1  And  when  the 
priest,  says  St.  Gregory,  extends  his  arm  to  communi 
cate,  I  think  I  hear  the  Redeemer  say  what  he  said  to 
Judas/  *  Behold  the  hand  that  betrays  me  is  with  me  on 
the  altar."2  Hence,  according  to  St.  Isidore  of  Pelu- 
sium,  the  sacrilegious  priest  is,  like  Judas,  entirely  pos 
sessed  by  the  devil.3 

Ah  !  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  so  much  insulted,  cries 
more  powerfully  for  vengeance  against  the  sacrilegious 
priest  than  the  blood  of  Abel  did  against  Cain.  This 
Jesus  himself  declared  to  St.  Bridget.  Oh  !  what  horror 
must  God  and  his  angels  feel  at  the  sight  of  a  sacri 
legious  Mass  !  This  horror  the  Lord  made  known  in 
the  following  manner,  in  the  year  1688,  to  his  servant 
Sister  Mary  Crucified,  of  Palma,  in  Sicily.  At  first  she 
heard  a  doleful  trumpet,  which  uttered,  in  a  tone  of 
thunder,  audible  over  the  entire  earth,  the  following 
words:  Ultio, pcena,  dolor  (vengeance,  punishment,  pain). 
She  then  saw  several  sacrilegious  ecclesiastics  singing 
psalms  with  discordant  voices,  and  in  a  confused  and 
irregular  manner.  She  next  saw  one  of  them  rise  up  to 
go  to  the  altar  and  say  Mass.  While  he  was  putting  on 
the  sacred  vestments,  the  church  was  covered  with  dark 
ness  and  mourning.  He  approaches  the  altar,  and,  in 
saying  the  Introibo  ad  altare  Dei,  the  trumpet  sounds 

1  "Nonne  Christus  potest  stare,   et   dicere:   Juda  !    tradis   osculo 
Filium  hominis  !" — Serin.  42. 

2  "  Qui  Christi  corpus  indigne  conficit,  Christum  tradit,  ut  Christus, 
dum  traditur  dicat;  Ecce  manus  tradentis  me  mecum  est  in  mensa." 
— P.  de  Blots,  Epist.  123. 

3  "  Ineisqui  peccant,  nee  sanctamysteriacontingere  verentur,  totus 
daemon  se  insinuat;  quod  etiam  in  proditore  quoque  fecit." — Egist.  1. 
3»  eP-  364- 


CHAP,  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  133 

again  and  repeats,  ultio,p(Ena,  dolor.  In  an  instant  the 
altar  appeared  to  be  surrounded  by  flames  of  fire,  which 
denoted  the  just  fury  of  the  Lord  against  the  unworthy 
celebrant;  and  at  the  same  time  a  great  multitude  of 
angels  were  seen  with  swords  in  their  hands  as  if  to  exe 
cute  vengeance  on  him  for  the  sacrilegious  Mass  which 
he  was  going  to  offer.  When  the  monster  came  near 
the  consecration,  a  crowd  of  vipers  sprung  from  the 
midst  of  the  flames  to  drive  him  away  from  the  altar; 
these  vipers  represented  his  fears  and  stings  of  con 
science.  But  they  were  all  useless;  the  impious  wretch 
preferred  his  own  reputation  to  all  these  stings  of  re 
morse.  Finally  he  pronounced  the  words  of  consecra 
tion;  and  instantly  the  servant  of  God  felt  a  universal 
earthquake,  which  caused  heaven,  earth,  and  hell  to 
tremble.  She  saw  angels  around  the  altar  bathed  in 
tears;  but  the  divine  mother  wept  still  more  bitterly  at 
the  death  of  her  innocent  son,  and  at  the  loss  of  a  sinful 
child.  After  a  vision  so  tremendous  and  dismal,  the 
servant  of  God  was  so  overpowered  with  fear  and  sor 
row  that  she  could  do  nothing  but  weep.  The  author 
of  her  life  remarks  that  it  was  in  the  same  year  the 
earthquake  happened  which  produced  such  havoc  in  the 
city  of  Naples  and  in  the  surrounding  country.  Hence 
we  may  infer  that  this  earthquake  was  a  punishment 
for  the  sacrilegious  Mass  at  which  Sister  Mary  was 
present. 

But,  exclaims  St.  Augustine,  what  more  horrid  impiety 
can  be  conceived  than  that  the  tongue  that  calls  down 
the  Son  of  God  from  heaven  should  be,  at  the  very  same 
moment,  employed  in  outraging  his  majesty?  or  that 
the  hands  that  are  bathed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
should  be,  at  the  same  time,  polluted  with  the  blood  of 
sin.1  To  the  sacrilegious  priest  St.  Bernard  says:  O 
"Ne  lingua,  quae  vocat  de  coelo  Filium  Dei,  contra  Dominum 
loquatur;  et  manus,  quae  intinguntur  sanguine  Christi,  polluantur 
sanguine  peccati." — Molina,  Instr.  Sacr.  tr.  i,  c.  5,  §  2. 


134  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

unworthy  wretch  !  if  you  wish  to  commit  the  enormous 
crime  of  celebrating  Mass  in  the  state  of  sin,  at  least 
procure  another  tongue,  and  do  not  employ  that  which 
is  washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ;  procure  hands 
different  from  those  which  you  stretch  out  to  touch  his 
sacred  flesh.1  Oh  !  let  the  priest  who  wishes  to  live  at 
enmity  writh  God  at  least  abstain  from  sacrilegiously 
offering  sacrifice  on  his  altar  !  But,  no  !  says  St.  Bona- 
venture:  he  will,  for  the  sake  of  the  miserable  stipend 
that  he  receives,  continue  to  commit  a  sin  of  such  hor 
rible  enormity.2  Perhaps  he  expects  that  the  sacred 
flesh  of  Jesus  Christ  which  he  offers  in  sacrifice  will 
deliver  him  from  his  iniquities  ?  Shall  the  holy  flesh,  says 
the  prophet  Jeremias,  take  away  from  thee  thy  crimes  in 
which  thou  hast  boasted? 3  No:  the  contact  of  that  sacred 
body,  as  long  as  you  remain  in  the  state  of  sin,  shall 
render  you  more  guilty  and  more  deserving  of  chastise 
ment.  He,  says  St.  Peter  Chrysologus,  who  commits 
a  crime  in  the  presence  of  his  judge  can  advance  no 
grounds  of  defence.4 

What  chastisement  does  not  the  priest  deserve  who, 
.instead  of  carrying  with  him  to  the  altar  flames  of 
divine  charity,  brings  the  fetid  fire  of  unchaste  love  ! 
Speaking  of  the  punishment  inflicted  on  the  sons  of 
Aaron  for  having  offered  strange  fire,  St.  Peter  Damian 
says:  "  Let  us  take  care  not  to  mingle  unholy  fire,  that 
is,  the  flames  of  lust  with  the  salutary  sacrifices."  ! 

1  "  Quando  ergo  peccare  volueris,  quaere  aliam  linguam  quam  earn 
quae  rubescit  sanguine  Christi,  alias  manus  praeter  eas  quae  Christum 
suscipiunt." 

'2  "  Accedunt,  non  vocati  a  Deo,  sed  impulsi  ab  avaritia." — De 
Prcep.  ad  M.  c.  8. 

3  "  Numquid  carnes  sanctae  auferent  a  te  malitias  tuas,  in  quibus 
gloriata  es  ?"— fer.  xi.  15. 

4  "  Excusatione    caret,  qui  facinus,   ipso  judice  teste,   committit." 
— Serm.  26. 

5  "  Cavendum  est  ne  alienum  ignem,  hoc  est,   libidinis  flammam, 
inter  salutares  hostias  deferanuis." — Opusc.  26,  c.  i.     I. evil.  x. 


CHAP,  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  135 

Whosoever,  adds  the  saint,  shall  dare  to  carry  the  flame 
of  lust  to  the  altar,  shall  certainly  be  consumed  by  the 
fire  of  God's  vengeance.1  May  the  Lord,  then,  says  the 
holy  Doctor  in  another  place,  preserve  us  from  ever 
adoring  on  the  altar  the  idol  of  impurity,  and  from 
placing  the  Son  of  the  Virgin  in  the  Temple  of  Venus, 
that  is,  in  an  unchaste  heart! 2  If  the  man  that  came  to 
the  feast  without  the  nuptial  garment  was  cast  into 
darkness,  how  much  greater  vengeance  shall  fall  on  him 
who  approaches  the  divine  table  not  only  not  clothed 
with  a  decent  garment,  but  exhaling  the  stench  of  his 
impurities?  says  the  same  St.  Peter  Damian.3  Woe,  ex 
claimed  St.  Bernard,  to  him  that  separates  himself  from 
God;  but  still  greater  woe  to  the  priest  who  approaches 
the  altar  with  a  guilty  conscience.4  Speaking  one  day 
to  St.  Bridget  of  a  priest  who  had  sacrilegiously  cele 
brated  Mass,  the  Lord  said  that  he  entered  into  the 
soul  of  that  priest  as  a  spouse  for  his  sanctification,  and 
that  he  was  obliged  to  depart  from  it  as  a  judge,  to  in 
flict  the  punishment  merited  by  the  sacrilegious  recep 
tion  of  his  body.5 

If  the  sacrilegious  priest  will  not  abstain  from  cele 
brating  the  divine  mysteries  in  the  state  of  sin,  through 
horror  of  the  insult,  or  rather  of  so  many  insults,  offered 
to  God  by  sacrilegious  Masses,  he  ought  at  least  to 

1  "  Quisquis  carnalis  concupiscentiae  flamma  aestuat,  et  sacris  assis- 
tere  mysteriis  non  formidat,  ille,  procul  dubio,  divinse  ultionis  igne 
consumitur." — Opusc.  27,  c.  3. 

-  "  Absit  ut  aliquis  huic  idolo  substernatur,  ut  Filium  Virginis  in 
Veneris  templo  suscipiat." — Serin.  60. 

3  "Quid  illi  sperandum,  qui,  coelestibus  tricliniis  intromissus,    non 
modo  non  est  spiritualis  indumenti  decore  conspicuus,  sed  ultro  etiam 
fsetet  sordentis  luxurise  squalore  perfusus." — Opusc.  18.  d.  i,  c.  4. 

4  "  Vse  ei  qui  se   alienum  fecerit  ab  eo:    et  multum  vse   ei  qui  im- 
mundus  accesserit." — De  Old.  vita.  c.  2. 

5  "  Ingredior  ad  Sacerdotem  istum  ut  sponsus;  egredior  ut  Judex, 
judicaturus  contemptus  a  sumente." — Rev.  1.  4,  c.  62. 


136  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

tremble  at  the  awful  chastisement  prepared  for  him.  St. 
Thomas  of  Villanova  teaches  that  no  punishment  is 
sufficient  to  avenge  a  crime  so  enormous  as  a  sacrilegious 
Mass.  "  Woe,"  he  says,  "  to  the  sacrilegious  hands!  woe 
to  the  unclean  breast  of  the  impious  priest!  Every 
punishment  is  inadequate  to  the  sin  by  which  Christ  is 
despised  in  this  sacrifice."  2  Our  Lord  once  said  to  St. 
Bridget  that  such  priests  are  cursed  by  all  creatures  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.2  A  priest,  as  we  have  said  in 
another  place,  is  a  vessel  consecrated  to  God;  and  as 
Balthasar  was  chastised  for  having  profaned  the  vessels 
of  the  Temple,  so  says,  Peter  de  Blois,  shall  the  priest 
be  punished  who  unworthily  offers  sacrifice:  "  We  see 
priests  abusing  vessels  consecrated  to  God,  but  near 
them  is  that  hand  and  that  terrible  writing:  Mane, 
Thecel,  Phares — numbered,  weighed,  divided."1  Thou 
art  numbered:  a  single  sacrilege  is  sufficient  to  put  an 
end  to  the  number  of  divine  graces.  Thou  art  weighed : 
such  a  crime  is  enough  to  make  the  balance  of  divine 
justice  descend  to  the  eternal  perdition  of  the  sacri 
legious  priest.  Divided :  enraged  at  such  an  enormity, 
the  Lord  shall  banish  and  separate  you  from  himself  for 
eternity.  Thus,  then,  shall  be  verified  the  words  of 
David:  Let  their  table  become  as  a  snare  before  them?  The 
altar  shall  become  for  the  sacrilegious  priest  the  place 
of  his  punishment,  where,  remaining  obstinate  in  sin,  he 
shall  be  bound  in  the  chains  of  hell,  and  shall  be  made 
the  perpetual  slave  of  Satan.  For,  according  to  St. 

1  "Vae    sacrilegis    manibus,    vae    immundis    pectoribus    impiorum 
Sacerdotum!  omne  supplicium    minus  est  flagitio  quo   Christus  con- 
tern  nitur  in  hoc  sacrificio." — De  Sacrum,  alt.  cone.  3. 

2  "  Maledicti  sunt  a  ccelo  et  terra,  et  ab  hominibus  creaturis,  quae 
ipsae  obediunt  Deo,  et  isti  spreverunt." — Rev.  1.  I,  c.  47. 

3  "  Videmus  Sacerdotes  abutentes  vasis  Deo  consecratis;  sed  prope 
est  manus  ilia  et  scriptura  terribilis:  Mane,  Thecel,  Phares  :  Numera- 
tum,  Appensum,  Divisum." — Serin.  56 

4  "  Fiat  mensa  eorum  coram  ipsis  in  laqueum." — Ps.  Ixviii.  23. 


CHAP,  vii.]          The  Sacrilegious  Mass.  137 

Laurence  Justinian,  they  that  communicate  in  mortal 
sin  adhere  with  greater  pertinacity  to  sin.1  This  is  con 
formable  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  that  he  that  eat- 
eth  and  drinketh  unworthily  eateth  and  drinketh  judgment  to 
himself?  Hence  St.  Peter  Damian  exclaims:  O  priest 
of  God,  who  offer  to  the  eternal  Father  his  own  Son 
in  sacrifice  do  not  beforehand  immolate  yourself  as  a 
victim  to  the  devil.3 

1  "  Sumentes  indigne,  prae  cseteris  delicta  graviora  committunt,  et 
pertinaciores  in  malo  sunt." — S.  de  Euchar. 

2  "  Qui  enim  manducat  et  bibit  indigne,  judicium  sibi  manducat  et 
bibit." — I  Cor.  xi.  29. 

3  "Cur,  o  Sacerdos,  qui  sacrificium  Deo  debes    offerre,  temetipsum 
prius  maligno  spiritui  non  vereris  victimam  immolare?" — Opusc.  17, 
c.  3- 


138  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE     SIN     OF     SCANDAL. 

THE  devil'  first  procured  the  invention  of  deities 
addicted  to  vice,  he  then  sought  to  induce  the  Gentiles 
to  worship  them,  that  thus  men  might  consider  it  law 
ful  to  sin  as  often  as  they  pleased,  and  that  they  might 
even  lose  all  horror  for  the  vices  with  which  they  saw 
their  gods  clothed.  This,  Seneca,  who  was  a  Gentile, 
confessed:  "  Since  we  have  such  gods  the  horror  of 
vice  should  disappear  from  among  men."  '  "  To  attribute 
vices  to  the  gods — what  is  it  but  to  inflame  passion 
in  the  hearts  of  men,  at  the  same  time  legalizing  all  the 
disorders  through  the  example  of  the  divinity?"  2  Hence, 
as  we  read  in  the  works  of  the  same  Seneca,  the  unhappy 
Gentiles  would  say:  "Why  should  that  be  forbidden  to 
me  what  the  gods  have  a  right  to  do  ?"  3  But  what  the 
devil  obtained  from  the  Gentiles  by  means  of  these  pre 
tended  deities,  whom  he  proposed  as  models  for  imita 
tion,  he  now  obtains  from  Christians  by  means  of  the 
scandalous  priest,  who  by  his  bad  example  persuades 
poor  seculars  into  a  belief  that  what  they  see  in  their 
pastor  is  lawful,  or  at  least  not  a  great  evil  in  world 
lings.  "Seculars  think,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "that  all  is 
allowed  them  what  they  see  their  pastors  do,  so  that 

1  "  Quibus  nihil  aliud  actum  est,  quam  ut  pudor  hominibus  peccandi 
demeretur." — De  Vita  beata,  c.  26. 

2  "  Quid  aliud   est  vitia  incendere,    quam   auctores  illis  inscribere 
deos,  dare  morbo,    exemplo  divinitatis,   excusatam    licentiam  ?" — De 
Brevit.  vita,  c.  1 6. 

3  "  Quod  divos  decuit,  cur  mihi  turpe  putem  ?" 


CHAP-  viii.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  1 39 

they  imitate  them  the  more  ardently."  God  has  placed 
priests  in  the  world  that  they  maybe  a  model  to  others, 
as  our  Saviour  himself  was  sent  by  his  Father  to  be  an 
example  to  the  world:  As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  I  also 
send  you?  Hence  St.  Jerome  wrote  to  a  bishop  to  guard 
against  actions  by  the  imitation  of  which  others  might 
be  drawn,  as  it  were,  by  force  into  sin.3 

The  sin  of  scandal  consists  not  only  in  directly 
advising  others  to  do  evil,  but  also  in  inducing  them  in 
directly  by  acts  to  the  commission  of  sin.  Scandal  is 
thus  defined  by  St.  Thomas  and  other  theologians: 
"  Every  word  or  action,  more  or  less  inordinate,  that  con 
stitutes  for  the  neighbor  an  occasion  of  falling  into  sin."  " 
To  understand  the  grievousness  of  the  sin  of  scandal,  it 
is  enough  to  know,  that  according  to  St.  Paul  he  who 
offends  against  a  brother  by  leading  him  into  sin,  offends 
against  Jesus  Christ:  When  you  sin  against  the  brethren, 
and  wound  their  weak  conscience,  you  sin  against  Christ?  St 
Bernard  assigns  the  reason,  saying,  that  the  author  of 
scandal  robs  Jesus  Christ  of  the  souls  redeemed  by  his 
blood.  The  saint  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  Jesus  Christ 
suffers  more  from  those  that  scandalize  others  than  he 
did  from  his  crucifiers.  "  If  our  Lord,"  he  says,  "  has 
given  his  blood  to  redeem  souls,  do  you  not  think  that  of 
these  two  persecutions,  the  one  in  which  scandal  robs 
him  of  souls  purchased  by  his  blood,  the  other  in  which 


1  "  Persuadent  sibi  id  licere,  quod  a  suis  pastoribus  fieri  conspiciunt, 
et  ardentius  perpetrant." 

s  "  Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos." — John,  xx.  21. 

3  "  Cave    ne    committas  quod,  qui    volunt    imitari,  coguntur  delin- 
quere." — Ep.  ad  Heliod. 

4  "  Dictum  vel  factum  minus  rectum,  praebens  occasionem  ruinae." 
—2,  2,  q.  43,  a.  i. 

5  "  Peccantes  autem  in  fratres,  et  percutientes  conscientiam  eorum 
infirmam,  in  Christum  peccatis." — i  Cor.  viii.  12. 


140  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

the  Jews  shed  his  blood,  the  first  is  much  more  cruel  to 
his  heart  ?"  J 

But  if  in  all,  even  in  seculars,  the  sin  of  scandal  is  so 
detestable,  how  much  greater  must  be  its  malice  in  a 
priest,  whom  God  has  placed  on  earth  to  save  souls  and 
to  conduct  them  to  heaven  !  The  priest  is  called  the 
salt  of  the  earth  and  the  light  of  the  world.2  The  office 
of  salt  is  to  preserve  soundness  and  prevent  putrefaction, 
and  the  office  of  the  priest  is  to  preserve  souls  in  the 
grace  of  God.  What,  says  St.  Augustine,  shall  become 
of  the  people  if  the  priest  does  not  perform  the  office  of 
salt.3  Then  the  saint  proceeds  to  say,  this  salt  shall  be 
fit  only  to  be  cast  away  by  the  Church,  and  to  be  trod 
den  by  all.4  But  what,  if,  instead  of  being  a  preservative, 
this  salt  be  employed  in  producing  and  promoting  cor 
ruption  ?  If  instead  of  bringing  souls  to  God,  a  priest 
is  occupied  in  leading  them  to  perdition,  whast  punish 
ment  shall  he  deserve? 

The  priest  is  also  the  light  of  the  world.5  Hence,  says 
St.  John  Chrysostom,  he  should  shine  with  the  splendor 
of  his  sanctity  so  as  to  enlighten  all  others  to  imitate 
his  virtues.0  But  should  this  light  be  changed  into 
darkness,  what  must  become  of  the  world  ?  Shall  it  not 

"  Si  (Dominus)  proprium  sanguinem  dedit  in  pretium  redemptionis 
animarum,  non  tibi  videtur  graviorem  sustinere  persecutionem  ab  illo 
qui,  scandali  occasione  avertit  ab  eo  animas  quas  redemit,  quam  a 
Judseo,  qui  sanguinem  suum  fudit  ?" — In  Conv.  S.  Pauli,  s.  i. 

2  "  Vos  estis-sal  terrae?" — Matt.  v.  13. 

3  "  Itaque,   si    sal   infatuatum   fuerit,    in  quo   salietur?     Qui   erunt 
homines  per  quos  a  vobis  error  auferatur,  cum  vos  elegerit  Deus,  per 
quos  errorem  auferat  caeterorum  ?" 

4  "  Ergo  ad  nihilum  valet  sal  infatuatum,  nisi  ut  mittatur  foras,  et 
calcetur  ab  hominibus." — De  Sertn.  Dom.  in  monte,  1.  I,  c.  C. 

5  "Vos  estis  lux  mundi."— Matt.  v.  14. 

6  "  Splendore  vitae  totum  illuminantis  orbem  splendere  debet  animus 
Sacerdotis." — De  Sacerd.  1.  6. 


CHAP,  viii.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  141 

be  brought  to  ruin  ?  says  St.  Gregory.1  The  saint  has 
written  the  same  to  the  bishops  of  France,  whom  he 
exhorted  to  chastise  the  priest  who  is  guilty  of  scandal.2 
This  is  conformable  to  the  words  of  the  Prophet  Osee: 
And  there  shall  be  like  people  like  priest?  By  the  mouth  of 
Jeremias  the  Lord  has  said,  And  I  will  fill  the  soul  of  the 
priest  with  fatness  :  and  My  people  shall  be  filled  with  good 
things.''  Hence  St.  Charles  Borromeo  says  that  if  the 
priests  be  fat  and  rich  in  virtue,  the  people,  too,  shall  be 
rich;  but  if  the  priests  be  poor,  the  people  shall  be  in 
still  greater  poverty.5 

Thomas  de  Cantimpre  writes  that  in  Paris  a  devil  told 
an  ecclesiastic  to  preach  to  the  clergy  of  that  city,  and 
to  say  that  the  princes  of  hell  saluted  and  thanked  some 
of  them  for  having  caused  the  damnation  of  an  immense 
multitude  of  souls.6  Of  this  the  Lord  complained  by 
the  Prophet  Jeremias:  My  people,  hath  been  a  lost  flock; 
their  shepherds  have  caused  them  to  go  astray}  There  is  no 
alternative,  says  St.  Gregory;  when  the  priest  walks  into 
the  precipice,  the  people,  too,  are  dashed  to  ruin.3  The 
bad  example  of  the  priest  necessarily  produces  im- 

1  "  Laqueus  ruinse  populi  mei,  Sacerdotes  mali." — Fast.  p.  i,  c,  2. 

2  "  Ne  paucorum  facinus  multorum  possit  esse  perditio;  nam  causa 
sunt  ruinse  populi  Sacerdotes  mali." — Epist.  1.  9,  ep.  64. 

3  "  Et  erit,  sicut  populus,  sic  Sacerdos." — Os.  iv.  9. 

4  "  Et  inebriabo  animam  Sacerdotum  pinguedine,  et  populus  meus 
bonis  meis  adimplebitur." — Jer.  xxxi.  14. 

5  ''  Si    pingues    sint    Sacerdotes,   erunt    itidern    populi    pingues;  et 
secus,  si  illi  inanes  erunt,  magnum  populis  imminebit  paupertatis  per- 
iculum." — /;/  Synod,  dicec.  n,  orat.  I. 

6  ""Principes  tenebrarum  principes  Ecclesiae  salutant.     Laeti  omnes 
nos  gratias  eisdem  referimus,  quia,  per  eorum  negligentiam,  ad  nos 
devolvitur  totus  fere  mundus." — De  Apib.  1.  i,  c.  20. 

7  "  Grex  perditus  factus  est  populus  meus;  pastores  eorum  sedux- 
erunt  eos." — Jer.  1.  6. 

8  "  Unde  fit  ut,  cum  pastor  per  abrupta  graditur,  ad  prsecipitium 
grex  sequatur." — Past.  p.  i,  c.  2. 


142  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

morality  among  his  people,  says  St.  Bernard.1  Should 
a  secular  mistake  the  way,  he  alone  is  lost;  but  when  a 
priest  errs,  he  shall  cause  the  perdition  of  many,  par 
ticularly  of  those  that  are  under  his  care,  says  the  same 
St.  Bernard.2  The  Lord  ordained  in  Leviticus  that  for 
the  sin  of  a  single  priest  a  calf  should  be  offered,  as  well 
as  for  the  sins  of  the  entire  people.  From  this  Innocent 
III.  concludes  that  the  sin  of  a  priest  is  as  grievous  as 
the  sins  of  the  whole  people.  The  reason  is,  says  the 
Pontiff,  that  by  his  sin  the  priest  leads  the  entire  people 
into  sin.3  And,  long  before,  the  Lord  himself  said  the 
same:  If  the  priest  that  is  anointed  shall  sin,  he  maketh  the 
people  to  offend."  Hence,  St.  Augustine,  addressing  priests, 
says,  "  Do  not  close  heaven:  but  this  you  do  if  you  give 
to  others  a  bad  example  to  lead  a  wicked  life."'  Our 
Lord  said  one  day  to  St.  Bridget,  that  when  sinners  see 
the  bad  example  of  the  priest,  they  are  encouraged  to 
commit  sin,  and  even  begin  to  glory  in  the  vices  of  which 
they  were  before  ashamed.6  Hence  our  Lord  added 
that  worse  maledictions  shall  fall  on  the  priest  than  on 
others,  because  by  his  sinful  life  he  brings  himself  and 
others  to  perdition.7 

1  "  Misera  eorum  conversatio  plebis  subversio  est." — In  Conv.  S. 
Pauli,  s.  i. 

2  "  Si  quis  de  populo  deviat,  solus  perit;  verum  principis  error  mul- 
tos  involvit,  et  tantis  obest,  quantis  praeest  ipse." — Epist.  127. 

3  "  Unde  conjicitur  quod  peccatum   Sacerdotis  totius   multitudinis 
peccato  cosequatur,  quia  Sacerdos  in  suo  peccato  totam  fecit  delinquere 
multitudinem." — In  Consecr.  Pont.  s.  i. 

4  "  Si    Sacerdos    qui    unctus    est,     peccaverit,    delinquere    faciens 
populum." — Lev.  iv.  3. 

5  "  Nolite  eis  ccelum  claudere;  clauditis,  dum  male  vivere    osten- 
ditis." — Ad  Fratr.  in  er.  s.  36. 

6  "Viso  exemplo   pravo    Sacerdotum,   peccator   nduciam    peccandi 
sumit,  et  incipit  de  peccato,   quod  prius  reputabat  erubescibile,  glo- 
riari." 

7  "  Ideo    ipsis   erit  amplior  maledictio  prae  aliis,  quia  se  vita  sua 
perdunt  et  alio§." — Rev.  1.  4,  c.  132. 


CHAP,  viii.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  1 43 

The  author  of  the  Imperfect  Work  says  that  all  that 
see  a  tree  covered  with  pale  and  withered  leaves  im 
mediately  infer  that  its  roots  have  been  injured;  and 
when  we  see  a  people  immoral,  we  may  justly  conclude, 
without  danger  of  rash  judgment,  that  the  priest  is  a 
man  without  virtue.1  Yes,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
the  life  of  the  priest  is  the  root  from  which  the  people, 
who  are  the  branches,  receive  nutriment.  St.  Ambrose a 
also  says  that  priests  are  the  head  from  which  virtue 
flows  to  the  members,  that  is,  to  seculars.  The  whole  head 
is  sick,  says  the  Prophet  Isaias;  .  .  .  from  the  sole  of  the 
foot  unto  the  top  of  the  head  there  is  no  soundness  therein? 
St.  Isidore  explains  this  passage  in  the  following  words: 
"  This  languishing  head  is  the  priest  that  commits  sin, 
and  that  communicates  his  sin  to  the  whole  body."  '  St. 
Leo  weeps  over  this  evil,  saying,  How  can  health  be 
found  in  the  body  if  the  head  be  not  sound?5  Who, 
says  St.  Bernard,  shall  seek  in  a  sink  the  limpid  water 
of  the  spring  ?  Shall  I,  adds  the  saint,  seek  counsel 
from  the  man  that  knows  not  how  to  give  counsel  to 
himself?6  Speaking  of  the  bad  example  of.  princes, 
Plutarch  7  says,  that  it  poisons  not  a  single  cup,  but  the 
public  fountain;  and  thus,  because  all  draw  from  the 

1  "  Vidit  arborem  pallentibus  foliis  marcidam,  et  intellexit  agricola 
quia  Isesuram  in  radicibus  habet;  ita,  cum  videris  populum  irreligiosum, 
sine  dubio  cognoscis  quia  Sacerdotium  ejus  non  est  sanum." — Horn. 
38. 

2  De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  5. 

3  "  Omne  caput  languidum.  ...  A  planta  pedis  usque  ad  verticem, 
non  est  in  eo  sanitas." — Is.  i.  5. 

4  "  Caput  enim  languidum  doctor  est  agens  peccatum,  cujus  malum 
ad  corpus  pervenit." — Sent.  1.  3,  c.  38. 

5  "  Totius    familiae    Domini    status    et   ordo    nutabit,   si,    quod    re- 
quiritur  in  corpore,  non  inveniatur  in  capite." — Epist.  87. 

6  "  Quis  enim  in  cceno  fontem   requirat?  .   .  .  An  vero  idoneum 
eum  putabo,  qui  mihi  det  consilium,  quod  non  dat  sibi  ?" — Ojficior.  1. 


2,  c.  12. 

7  Opusc.  Max.  cum  princip.  philos.. 


1 44  Material  for  Sermons.         ,     [PART  i. 

fountain,  all  are  poisoned.  This  may  be  said  with 
greater  truth  of  the  bad  example  of  priests;  hence 
Eugene  III.  has  said  that  bad  Superiors  are  the  prin 
cipal  causes  of  the  sins  of  inferiors.1 

Priests  are  called  by  St.  Gregory  2  Patres  Christianorum 
—The  Fathers  of  Christians.  Thus  also  are  they  called 
by  St.  John  Chrysostom,  who  says  that  a  priest  as  the 
representative  of  God  is  bound  to  take  care  of  all  men, 
because  he  is  the  Father  of  the  whole  world.3  As  a 
parent,  then,  sins  doubly  when  he  gives  bad  example  to 
his  children,  so  a  priest  is  also  guilty  of  a  double  sin 
when  he  gives  bad  example  to  seculars,  says  Peter  de 
Blois.4  St.  Jerome  made  the  same  remark  in  a  letter  to 
a  certain  bishop:  "  Whatever  you  do,  all  will  think  they 
may  also  do."5  When  they  sin  at  the  sight  of  the  bad 
example  of  a  priest,  seculars,  as  Cesarius  has  observed, 
say,  "  Do  not  also  priests  do  such  things  ?"  6  St.  Augus 
tine  puts  the  following  words  into  the  mouth  of  a  secu 
lar:  "Why  do  you  reproach  me  ?  are  not  priests  doing 
the  same?  and  you  wish  to  force  me  not  to  do  so  ?"  7  St. 
Gregory  says  that  when,  instead  of  edifying  the  people, 
a  priest  gives  scandal,  he  renders  sin,  in  a  certain  man 
ner,  honorable  rather  than  an  object  of  horror.3 

1  "  Inferiorum  culpae  ad  nullos  magis  referenda?  sunt,  quam  ad  de- 
sides  rectores." — 6".  Bernard.  De  Consid.  1.  3,  c.  5. 

2  In  Evang.  horn.  17. 

3  "  Quasi    totius    orbis    pater   Sacerdos    est;  dignum    igitur   est   ut 
omnium  curam  agat,  sicut  ut  Deus,  cujus  fungitur  vice." — In  i   'J'im. 
horn.  6. 

4  "  Quid  faciet  laicus,  nisi  quod  patrem  suum  spiritualem  viderit 
facientem." — Serm.  57. 

5  "  Quidquid    feceris,   id    sibi   omnes    faciendum  putant." — Ep.  ad 
Heliod. 

6  "  Numquid  talia  clerici,  etiam  majoris  ordinis,  faciunt?" — Serm. 

15- 

7  "  Quid  mihi  loqueris  ?     Ipsi  clerici  non  illud  faciunt,  et  me  cogis 
ut  faciam  ?" — Serin.  137,  E.  B. 

8  "  In    exemplum    culpa   vehementer    extenditur,  quando,   pro    re- 
vereniia  Ordinis,  peccator  honoratur." — Past.  p.  i,  c.  2. 


CHAP,  viii.]-  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  145 

Such  a  priest,  then,  is  at  the  same  time  a  parent  and 
a  parricide;  for,  as  St.  Gregory  says,  he  is  the  cause  of 
the  death  of  his  spiritual  children.  "  You  see,"  says  the 
saint,  "  what  blows  daily  are  given  to  the  people,  and 
whose  fault  is  it  but  the  fault  of  priests?  We  are  the 
cause  of  the  death  of  the  people,  while  we  should  be 
their  leaders  to  eternal  life."  '  Some  one  that  has  lost 
the  divine  light  may  say  I  must  give  an  account  of  my 
own  sins,  but  what  have  I  to  do  with  the  sins  of 
others?  He  may  say  what  he  pleases,  but  I  exhort  him 
to  listen  to  the  words  of  St.  Jerome:  "If  you  say  I  have 
enough  to  do  with  my  own  conscience;  what  do  I  care 
for  people's  talk?  listen  to  the  words  of  the  Apostle: 
Providing  good  things,  not  only  in  the  sight  of  God,  but  also  in 
the  sight  of  all  men"*  St.  Bernard  says  that  the  scan 
dalous  priest  kills  others  at  the  same  time  that  he  mur 
ders  his  own  soul.3  And  in  another  place  the  saint 
writes  that  there  is  no  plague  more  noxious  to  the  peo 
ple  than  ignorance  in  a  priest  united  with  irregularity 
of  life.4  In  another  place  the  same  saint  says  that  in 
their  sermons  many  priests  are  orthodox,  but  in  their 
conduct  they  are  heretics;  because  by  their  bad  ex 
ample  they  inflict  a  deeper  wound  on  religion  than 
heretics  do  by  teaching  false  doctrines,  because  acts 
have  more  force  than  words.5 

1  "Quibus  quotidie  percussionibus  intereat  populus  videtis;  cujus 
hoc,    nisi    nostro    praecipue,    peccato    agitur?     Nos    pereunti    populo 
auctores  mortis  existimus,  qui  esse  debuimus  duces  ad  vitam." — In 
Evang.  horn.  17. 

2  "Si  dixeris:  Et  mihi  sufficit  conscientia  mea;  non  euro  quid  lo- 
quantur  homines; — audi  Apostolum  scribentem:   '  Providentes  bona, 
non    tantum  coram  Deo,  sed  etiam  coram  omnibus  hominibus.'"  — 
Rom.  xii.  17. 

3  "Non  parcunt  suis,  qui  non  parcunt  sibi,   perimentes  pariter  et 
pereuntes." — In  Cant.  s.  77. 

4  "  Post  indoctos  prelates  malosque,   in    Ecclesia,   nulla  pestis  ad 
nocendum  infirmis  valentior  invenitur." — De  Ord.  vitte.  c.  I. 

0  "  Multi   sunt   catholici   prsedicando,   qui   hseretici   sunt   operando: 
10 


146  Material  for  Sermons.  LPART  i. 

Seneca  says  that  the  way  of  instruction  is  a  long  and 
tedious  way  of  learning  vice  or  virtue;  but  the  way  of 
example  is  short  and  efficacious.1  Hence,  speaking  par 
ticularly  of  the  chastity  of  priests,  St.  Augustine  has 
written :  "  To  all  chastity  is  very  necessary,  but  especially 
to  the  ministers  of  Christ,  whose  lives  should  be  to  others 
a  sermon  unto  salvation."  2  How  can  the  slave  of  lust 
preach  chastity  ?  says  St.  Peter  Damian.3  St.  Jerome 
says  that  the  very  state  and  dress  of  an  ecclesiastic  call 
for  and  demand  chastity.4  What  a  source  of  scandal, 
then,  to  the  Church  to  see  a  man  with  the  name  and 
rank  of  a  saint  give  examples  of  vice?  "  No  one,"  says 
St.  Gregory,  "  injures  the  Church  more  than  he  that 
bears  the  name  and  the  Order  of  sanctity."  '  And  must 
it  not,  adds  St.  Isidore  of  Pelusium,  be  a  still  more  dis 
astrous  evil  to  see  a  priest  avail  himself  of  his  dignity 
as  the  arms  with  which  he  commits  sin  ?6  According  to 
the  words  of  Ezechiel,  such  a  priest  renders  the  exalted 
dignity  of  his  state  an  object  of  abomination:  Thou  hast 
made  thy  beauty  to  be  abominable.'1  St.  Bernard  says  that 
the  priest  that  does  not  give  good  example  is  an  ob- 

quod  haeretici  faciebant  per  prava  dogmata,  hoc  faciunt  plures  hodie 
per  mala  exempla;  et  tanto  graviores  sunt  hsereticis,  quanto  prseva- 
lent  opera  verbis." — S.  ad  Past,  in  Syn. 

1  "  Longum  iter  est  per  prsecepta,  breve  et  efficax  per  exempla." — 
Epist.  6. 

2  "  Omnibus  castitas  pernecessaria  est,  sed  maxime  ministris  Christi 
altaris,  quorum  vita  aliorum  debet  esse  assidua  salutis  prsedicatio." — 
Serin.  291,  E.  B.  app. 

3  "  Qui  praedicator  constitutus  es  castitatis,  non  te  pudet  servum  esse 
libidinis  ?" — Opnsc.  17,  c.  3. 

4  "  Clamat  vestis    clericalis,   clamat    status    professi   animi    sancti- 
tatem." 

5  "Nemo  amplius   in    Ecclesia   nocet,    quam   qui,    perverse  agens, 
nomen  vel  ordinem  sanctitatis  habet." — Past.  p.  I,  c.  2. 

"  Sacerdotii  dignitate  velut  armis  ad  vitium  abuti." — Epist.  1.  2, 
ep.  162. 

7  "  Abominabilem  fecisti  decorem  tuum." — Ezech.  xvi.  25. 


CHAP,  viii.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  147 

ject  of  scorn  to  the  entire  people.1  It  is  not  in  order 
to  see  a  priest  live  like  worldlings;  but  what  a  scandal 
to  see  his  conduct  worse  than  that  of  seculars  ?  says  the 
author  of  the  Imperfect  Work?  And  what  example, 
says  St.  Ambrose,  can  the  people  take  from  you,  if  in 
you,  who  are  esteemed  holy,  they  witness  actions  of 
which  they  themselves  are  ashamed  ? 3 

Hear  ye  this,  O  priests,  says  the  prophet  Osee,  .  .  .  for 
there  is  a  judgment  against  you,  because  you  have  been  a  snare 
to  them  whom  you  should  have  watched  over,  and  a  net  spread 
upon  Thabor."  The  sportsman  employs  decoys,  that  is, 
birds  that  are  bound  so  that  they  cannot  fly  away,  and 
the  devil  employs  the  authors  of  scandal  in  order  to 
catch  souls  in  his  net.  Says  St.  Ephrem:  ''When  the 
soul  is  once  caught  it  becomes  as  a  snare  for  catching 
others."5  Of  these  authors  of  scandal  God  complains 
by  the  prophet  Jeremias,  saying,  For  among  My  people 
are  found  wicked  men,  that  lie  in  wait  as  fowlers,  setting  snares 
and  traps  to  catch!'  But,  says  Caesar  of  Aries,  the  devil 
seeks  in  a  special  manner  to  employ  for  his  decoys 
scandalous  priests;  hence  this  author  calls  them  decoy 
birds  whom  the  devils  usually  incite  to  catch  others.7 

1  "  Aut  cseteris  honestiores,  aut  fabula  omnibus  sunt." — De  Consid. 
1.  4,  c.  6. 

2  "  Quomodo  non  sit  confusio  esse  Sacerdotes  inferiores  laicis,  quos 
etiam  esse  sequales  magna  confusio  est?" — Horn.  40. 

3  "  Si,    qua?   in   se   erubescit,    in   te,   quern   reverendum   arbitratur, 
offendat?" — Epist.  6. 

4  "  Audite  hoc,  Sacerdotes;  .   .   .   quia  vobis  judicium  est,  quoniam 
laqueus  facti  estis  speculation!,  et  rete  expansum." — Os.  v.  I. 

6  "  Cum  primum  captafuerit  anima,  ad  alias  decipiendas  fit  laqueus." 
— De  recta  viv.  rat.  c.  22. 

6  "  Quia  inventi  sunt  in  populo  meo  impii  insidiantes  quasi  aucupes, 
laqueos  ponentes  et  pedicas  ad  capiendos  viros." — Jer.  v.  26. 

1  "Quomodo  aucupes  facere  solent,  qui  columbas,  quas  prius 
ceperint,  excaecant  et  surdas  faciunt,  ut,  dum  ad  illas  reliquae  co- 
lumba?  convenerint,  praparatis  retibus  capiantur." — Horn.  35. 


1 48  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

A  certain  author  attests  that  in  ancient  times  when  a 
simple  ecclesiastic  passed  by  the  way  all  rose  up  and 
besought  him  to  recommend  them  to  God.  Is  this  done 
at  the  present  day?  Alas!  Jeremias  weeps,  and  says: 
How  is  the  gold  become  dim,  the  finest  color  is  changed,  the 
stones  of  the  sanctuary  are  scattered  in  the  top  of  every  street  ?  1 
The  gold,  according  to  the  exposition  of  Cardinal  Hugo, 
signifies  ecclesiastics,  in  some  of  whom  it  has  lost  its 
beautiful  color:  it  has  ceased  to  be  ruddy  with  holy 
charity;  it  has  grown  dim,  and  no  longer  shines  with 
the  splendor  of  brilliant  examples.  The  stones  of  the 
sanctuary,  that  is,  says  St.  Jerome,  many  of  the  priests, 
are  scattered  through  the  streets,  and  serve  only  to  pre 
cipitate  poor  seculars  into  vice.  This  passage  is  thus 
explained  also  by  St.  Gregory:  "The  gold  is  obscured, 
for  the  priests  dishonor  their  lives  by  the  baseness  of 
their  works.  It  has  lost  its  beautiful  color,  since  their 
shameful  actions  have  covered  with  reproach  the  sacer 
dotal  dignity.  The  stones  of  the  sanctuary  are  scattered 
through  the  streets,  because  recollection  and  the  holy 
exercises  have  given  way  to  dissipation  and  worldly 
occupations,  so  that  one  finds  really  no  secular  enter 
prise  to  which  the  priest  has  not  consecrated  his  energy." 2 

The  sons  of  My  mother  have  fought  against  Me. 3  Origen 
applies  this  passage  to  the  disorderly  priest,  who,  he 
says,  arms  himself  by  his  scandals  against  his  own 
mother,  the  Church.  St.  Jerome  says  that  the  Church 

1  "Quomodo  obscuratum  est  aurum,  mutatus  est  color  optimus,  dis- 
persi  sunt  lapides  sanctuarii  in  capita  omnium  platearum!" — Lam.  iv.  i. 

2  "Aurum  quippe  obscuratum  est,  quia  Sacerdotum  vita,  per  acti- 
ones  infirmas,  ostenditur  reproba;    color  optimus  est  mutat.us,   quia 
ille  sanctitatis  habitus,  per  abjecta  opera,  ad  ignominiam  despectionis 
venit;  dispersi  sunt  lapides  sanctuarii  in  capite  omnium  platearum, 
quia  hi  qui,  per  vitam  et  orationem,   intus  semper  esse    debuerant, 
foris  vacant.     Ecce  jam  pene  nulla  est  saeculi  actio,  quam  non  Sacer- 
dotes  administrat." — In  Evang.  horn.  17. 

3  "Filii  matris  meae  pugnaverunt  contra  me." — Cant.  \.  5. 


CHAP,  vni.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  149 

is  laid  waste  by  the  scandalous  lives  of  some  of  her 
priests.1  Hence  on  the  words  of  Ezechias,  Behold  in 
peace  is  My  bitterness  most  bitter?  St.  Bernard,  speaking  in 
the  name  of  the  Church,  said:  "  Now  we  have  peace 
from  pagans,  peace  from  heretics,  not,  however,  from 
our  own  children."5  At  present,  says  the  holy  Church, 
I  am  not  persecuted  by  the  pagans,  for  the  tyrants  have 
ceased,  nor  by  the  heretics,  because  there  are  no  new 
heresies;  but  I  am  persecuted  by  the  ecclesiastic,  who  by 
his  scandals  robs  me  of  so  many  souls.  "  I  think,"  says 
St.  Gregory,  "that  no  one  injures  the  interests  of  God 
as  the  priests  do  whom  he  has  himself  charged  with  the 
duty  of  drawing  souls  from  vice,  and  who  by  their  bad 
example  precipitate  them  into  it."4 

By  his  bad  example  the  scandalous  priest  brings  dis 
grace  even  on  his  own  ministry,  that  is,  on  his  sermons, 
Masses,  and  all  his  functions.  Against  this  the  Apostle 
has  warned  priests:  Giving  no  offence  to  any  man,  that  our 
ministry  be  not  blamed,  but  in  all  things  let  us  exhibit  our 
selves  as  the  ministers  of  God?  Salvian  says  that  through 
certain  priests  the  law  of  Jesus  Christ  is  dishonored.6 
St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna  writes  that  many,  seeing  the 
bad  example  of  the  scandalous  ecclesiastic,  begin  even 
to  waver  in  faith,  and  thus  abandon  themselves  to  vice, 
despising  the  sacraments,  hell,  and  heaven.7 

1  "  Propter  vitia  Sacerdotum  Dei,  sanctuarium  destitutum  est." — 
Ep.  ad  Sabiniam. 

2  "  Ecce  in  pace  amaritudo  mea  amarissima." — Is.  xxxviii.  17. 

3  "  Pax  a  paganis,  pax  ab  hsereticis,  sed  non  profecto  a  filiis." — In 
Cant.  s.  33. 

4  "Nullum  puto  ab  aliis  majus  prsejudicium,  quam  a  Sacerdotibus, 
tolerat  Deus,  quando  eos,  quos  ad  aliorum  correctionem  posuit,  dare 
de  se  exempla  pravitatis  cernit." — In  Evang.  horn.  17. 

5  "  Nemini  dantesullam  offensionem,  ut  non  vituperetur  ministerium 
nostrum;   sed    in    omnibus  exhibeamus  nosmetipsos  sicut  Dei  minis- 
tros." — 1  Cor.  vi.  3. 

6  "In  nobis  lex  Christiana  maledicitur." 

1  "  Plurimi,  considerantes  cleri  sceleratam  vitam,  ex  hoc  vacillantes, 


1 50  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  \. 

St.  John  Chrysostom  writes  that  the  infidels,  seeing 
the  vices  of  certain  priests,  would  say  that  the  God  of 
the  Christians  either  was  not  the  true  God,  or  that  he 
was  not  a  God  of  sanctity.  For,  said  they,  were  he 
holy,  how  could  he  tolerate  the  sins  of  his  priests?1  In 
the  instruction  on  the  Mass  we  shall  relate  more  at 
length  the  fact  of  a  heretic  who  had  resolved  to  abjure 
his  errors,  but  being  afterwards  present  at  a  Mass  cele 
brated  in  a  scandalous  manner,  he  determined  to  remain 
in  his  heresy,  and  said  that  even  the  Pope  did  not  be 
lieve  in  the  Mass,  for  if  he  did  he  would  condemn  such 
priests  to  be  burnt  alive.  St.  Jerome  said  that  among 
those  that  had  infected  the  Church  and  perverted  the 
people,  he  found  in  history  the  names  only  of  priests.2 
And  Peter  de  Blois  says:  "  On  account  of  the  negligence 
of  priests  heresies  came  into  existence."1  In  another 
place  he  says:  "  On  account  of  the  sins  of  priests  the 
holy  Church  of  God  has  been  covered  with  opprobrium 
and  trodden  in  the  dust."4  St.  Bernard  was  of  opinion 
that  greater  injury  is  done  to  the  Church  by  scandalous 
priests  than  even  by  the  heretics;  because  we  may  guard 
against  heretics,  but  how  can  we  guard  against  the  priest 
of  whose  ministry  we  must  necessarily  avail  ourselves  ? 
"  See,"  says  the  holy  Doctor,  "  what  poison  is  now  rav 
aging  the  whole  body  of  the  Church  !  The  more  it  ex 
tends  the  less  it  can  be  checked,  and  the  greater  the 

imo  multoties  deficientes  in  fide,  sacramenta  despiciunt,  vitia  non 
evitant,  non  horrent  inferos,  coelestia  minima  concupiscunt." — T.  I. 
s.  19,  a.  2,  c.  i. 

1  "  Qualis  est  eorum  Deus,  qui  talia  agunt?  numquid  sustineret  eos 
talia  facientes.  nisi  consentiret  eorum  operibus?" — Horn.  10. 

2  "  Veteres  scrutans  historias,  invenire  non  possum  scidisse  Eccle- 
siam,  et  populos  seduxisse,   praeter  eos  qui  Sacerdotes  a  Deo  positi 
fuerunt." — In  Oseam,  c.  9.  — 

3  "  Propter  negligentiam  Sacerdotum,  haereses  pullularunt." 

4  "  Propter  peccata  nostra  (Sacerdotum),  data  est  in  conculcationem 
et  opprobrium  Sancta  Ecclesia  Christi." — Serin.  60. 


CHAP.  viii. i  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  151 

danger  of  becoming  more  hidden.  Let  a  heretic  preach 
impious  doctrines,  and  he  will  be  expelled;  let  him  have 
recourse  to  violence,  and  we  shall  flee  from  him.  But 
now  how  can  we  reject  or  expel  priests?  We  need 
them,  and  all  are  our  enemies."  ' 

Oh  !  ho'w  great  the  punishment  which  is  reserved  for 
the  scandalous  priest!  If  against  every  secular  that 
gives  scandal  vengeance  has  been  threatened,  Woe  to  that 
man  by  whom  the  scandal  coineth?  how  much  more  tremend 
ous  the  scourge  that  shall  fall  on  the  scandalous  priest 
whom  God  has  chosen  from  among  all  men  for  his  own 
minister!  He  chose  him  out  of  all  flesh?  Jesus  Christ  has 
chosen  him  to  bring  forth  fruit  by  saving  souls.  /  have 
chosen  you,  and  have  appointed  you,  that  you  should  go,  and  should 
bring  forth  fruit*  And  by  bad  example  he  robs  Jesus 
Christ  of  souls  redeemed  with  his  blood.  St.  Gregory 
says  that  such  a  priest  merits  as  many  deaths  as  he  gives 
examples  of  vice.5  Speaking  especially  of  priests,  our 
Lord  said  to  St.  Bridget:  "Upon  them  greater  maledic 
tion  will  come,  because  by  their  conduct  they  damn  not 
only  themselves,  but  also  others."  '  To  them  is  intrusted 
the  care  of  cultivating  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord;  but  he 
casts  out  of  his  vineyard  the  scandalous  priest,  and 
places  in  his  stead  others  that  will  bring  forth  good 
fruit:  He  will  bring  those  evil  men  to  an  evil  end:  and  will  let 

1  "  Serpit  hodie  putida  tabes  per  omne    corpus    Ecclesiae,   et,  quo 
latius,  eo  desperatius,  eoque  periculosius  quo  interius;  narn,  si  insur- 
geret  apertus  inimicus  haereticus,  mitteretur  foras;  si  violentus  inimi- 
cus,  absconderet  se  ab  eo;  nunc  vero,  quern  ejiciet,  aut  aquoabscondet 
se  ?  omnes  necessarii,  et  omnes  adversarii." — In  Cant.  s.  33. 

2  "  Vae  homini  illi  per  quern  scandalum  venit." — Malt,  xviii.  7. 

3  "  Elegit  eum  ex  omni  came  !" — Ecclus.  xlv.  4. 

4  "  Elegi  vos  et  posui  vos,  ut  eatis  et  fructum  afferatis."— John,  xv.  16. 

5  "  Si  perversa  perpetrant,  tot  mortibus  digni  sunt,  quot  ad  subditos 
suos  perditionis  exempla  transmittunt." — Past.  p.  3,  c.  i,  adm.  5. 

6  "  Ipsis  erit  amplior  maledictio,  quia  se  vita  sua  perdunt,  et  alios." 
—Kev.  1.  4,  c.  132. 


152  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

out  His  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen,  that  shall  render  Him 
tJie  fruit  in  due  season?  Alas!  what  shall  become  of  the 
scandalous  priest  on  the  day  of  judgment?  I  will,  says 
the  Lord,  meet  them  as  the  b-:ar  that  is  robbed  of  her  whelps? 
With  what  rage  does  the  bear  rush  on  the  sportsman 
that  has  killed  or  stolen  her  whelps  !  It  is  thus  God  has 
declared  that  he  will  meet  on  the  day  of  judgment  the 
priest  that  has  destroyed  instead  of  saving  souls.  And 
if,  says  St.  Augustine,  we  shall  scarcely  be  able  to  give 
an  account  of  ourselves,  what  shall  become  of  the  priest 
that  shall  have  to  render  an  account  of  the  souls  he  has 
sent  to  hell?3  And  St.  John  Chrysostom  says,  "  If  priests 
sin,  all  the  people  are  led  to  sin.  Hence  every  one  must 
render  an  account  of  his  own  sins;  but  the  priests  are 
also  responsible  for  the  sins  of  others."  Oh!  how  many 
seculars,  how  many  peasants,  how  many  weak  and  tender 
women,  shall  cover  the  priest  with  shame  and  confusion 
in  the  valley  of  Josaphat  !  "  The  layman,"  says  St.  John 
Chrysostom,  "  will  on  the  day  of  judgment  receive  the 
priestly  stole,  but  the  sinful  priest,  stripped  of  his  dig 
nity,  will  have  to  take  his  place  among  infidels  and 
heretics."  '" 

Let  us,  then,  dearly  beloved  priests,  guard  against 
bringing  to  hell  by  our  bad  example  the  souls  for  whose 
salvation  God  has  placed  us  in  the  world.  And  for  this 

1  "  Malos  male  perdet,  et  vineam  suam  locabit  aliis  agricolis,  qui 
reddant  ei  fructum  temporibus  suis." — Matt.  xxi.  41. 

2  "  Occurram  eis  quasi  ursa,  raptis  catulis." — Os.  xiii.  8. 

3  "  Si  pro  se  unusquisque  vix  poterit  in  die  judicii  rationem  reddere, 
quid  de  Sacerdotibus  futurum  est,  a  quibus  sunt  omnium  animse  requi- 
rendae?" — Serm.  287,  E.  B.  app. 

4  "  Si  Sacerdotes  fuerint  in  peccatis,  totus  populus  convertitur  ad 
peccandum;  ideo,  unusquisque  pro  suo  peccato  reddet  rationem,  Sa 
cerdotes  autem  pro  omnium  peccatis." — Horn.  38. 

b  "  Laicus,  in  die  judicii,  stolam  sacerdotalem  accipiet;  Sacerdos 
autem  peccator  spoliabitur  sacerdotii  dignitate  quam  habuit,  et  erit 
inter  infideles  et  hypocritas." — Horn.  40. 


CHAP,  viii.]  The  Sin  of  Scandal.  153 

purpose  we  must  avoid  not  only  actions  that  are  in  them 
selves  unlawful,  but  also  those  that  have  the  appearance 
of  evil.  From  all  appearance  of  evil  refrain  yourselves.1 
The  Council  of  Agatha  ordains  "  that  servant  maids  be 
removed  from  the  houses  of  priests."2  To  keep  young 
servant  maids,  though  they  were  not  an  occasion  of  evil 
(which  is  impossible),  has  at  least  the  appearance  of  evil, 
and  may  give  scandal  to  others.  Hence  the  Apostle  has 
written  that  we  should  sometimes  abstain  from  what  is 
lawful,  lest  it  become  a  stumbling-block  to  the  weak?  It  is 
also  necessary  to  abstain  with  great  care  from  giving 
expression  to  certain  worldly  maxims;  such  as,  we  must 
not  allow  others  to  take  precedence;  we  must  enjoy  the 
present  life;  happy  the.  man  that  abounds  in  riches; 
God  is  full  of  mercy  and  has  pity  on  us,  even  on  sinners 
that  persist  in  sin.  But  how  scandalous  would  it  be  to 
praise  persons  for  sinful  conduct  !  For  example,  for 
resenting  an  injury,  or  for  maintaining  a  dangerous 
friendship.  "  It  is  worse,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
"  to  praise  those  that  do  wrong,  than  to  do  wrong  our 
selves.  "'  He  that  has  hitherto  had  the  misfortune  of 
giving  scandal,  or  of  being  the  occasion  of  scandal,  is 
bound  under  pain  of  grievous  sin  to  repair  it  by  external 
good  example. 

1  "  Ab  omni  specie  mala  abstinete  vos." — I  Thess.  v.  22. 
'2  "Ut  ancillse  a  mansione,  in  qua  clericus  manet,  removeantur." — 
Cone.  Agath   c.  n. 

3  "  Ne  forte,   .   ,   .  offendiculum  fiat  infirmis." — I  Cor.  viii.  9. 

4  "  Longe  pejus  est,  collaudare  delinquentes,  quam  delinquere." — 
De  Saul  et  David,  horn.  2. 


154  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THE    ZEAL    OF    THE    PRIEST. 

(In  giving  the  spiritual  exercises  to  the  clergy,  the  sermon  on  zeal 
is  the  most  necessary,  and  may  be  the  most  useful  of  all;  for  if  one  of 
the  priests  who  assist  at  the  exercises  resolves  (as  we  ought  to  hope 
through  the  divine  grace)  to  employ  himself  in  procuring  the  salva 
tion  of  souls,  God  will  gain  not  one  but  a  hundred  and  a  thousand 
souls,  who  will  be  saved  through  the  labors  of  that  priest.) 

WE  shall  speak  in  this  chapter: 

1.  Of  the  obligation  of  priests  to  labor  for  the  salva 
tion  of  souls. 

2.  Of  the  pleasure  that  a  priest  who  seeks  the  salva 
tion  of  souls  gives  to  God. 

3.  Of  the  eternal  glory  and  the  great  reward  that  a 
priest  who  labors  for  the  salvation  of  souls  may  expect 
from  God. 

I. 

The  Obligation  of  Every  Priest  to  Labor  for  the  Salvation  of 

Souls. 

"  In  the  world  there  are  at  the  same  time  many  and 
few  priests — many  in  name,  but  few  in  reality,"  '  says 
the  author  of  the  "  Imperfect  Work."  The  world  is  filled 
with  priests,  but  few  of  them  labor  to  be  priests;  that  is, 
to  fulfil  the  duty  and  obligations  of  a  priest,  or  to  save 
souls. 

The  dignity  of  priests  is  great,  because  they  are  the 
coadjutors  of  God.  "  We  are  God's  coadjutors."2  And 

"Multi    Sacerdotes,    et    pauci    Sacerdotes:     multi    nomine,    pauci 
opere." — Ifoin.  43. 

-i  "  Dei  enim  sumus  adjutores." — I  Cor.  iii.  9. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  155 

what  greater  dignity,  says  the  Apostle,  than  that  of  co 
operating  with  Jesus  Christ  in  saving  the  souls  which  he 
has  redeemed  ?  Hence  St.  Denis  the  Areopagite  calls 
the  dignity  of  the  priest  a  divine  dignity,  and  even  the 
most  divine  of  all  divine  things.1  For,  as  St.  Augustine 
says,  it  requires  more  power  to  sanctify  a  sinner  than  to 
create  heaven  and  earth.2 

St.  Jerome  used  to  call  priests  the  saviours  of  the 
world.3  St.  Prosper  calls  them  the  administrators  of 
the  royal  house  of  God.4  And,  long  before,  Jeremias 
called  them  the  fishers  and  sportsmen  of  the  Lord: 
Behold,  I  will  send  many  fishers,  saith  the  Lord,  and  after 
this  I  will  send  many  hunters,  and  they  shall  liunt  them  from 
every  mountain  and  from  every  hill,  and  out  of  the  holes  of  the 
rocks?  St.  Ambrose "  explains  this  passage  of  priests 
who  gain  to  God  the  most  abandoned  sinners,  and  de 
liver  them  from  all  their  vices.  The  mountain  signifies 
pride;  the  hill,  pusillanimity;  and  the  holes  of  the  rocks, 
bad  habits,  which  bring  with  them  darkness  of  under 
standing  and  coldness  of  heart.  Peter  de  Blois  says 
that  in  the  work  of  creation  God  had  no  one  to  assist 
him,  but  in  the  mystery  of  redemption  he  wished  to 
have  coadjutors.7  Who  on  this  earth  is  superior  to  the 
priest?  "To  the  king  are  intrusted  earthly  things;  to 
me,  a  priest,  heavenly  things," 8  says  St.  Chrysostom. 

1  See  page  46. 

2  See  page  35. 

3  "  Sacerdotes  Dominus  mundi  esse  voluit  salvatores." — InAbdiam, 
21. 

4  "  Dispensatores  regiae  domus." — De  vita  cont.  1.  2,  c.  2. 

"  Ecce  ego  mittam  piscatores  multos,  dicit  Dominus,  et  piscabuntur 
eos;  et  post  haec,  mittam  eis  multos  venatores,  et  venabuntur  eos  de 
omni  monte,  et  de  omni  colle,  et  de  cavernis  petrarum." — -Jer,  xvi.  16. 
6  In  Ps.  1 1 8,  s.  6. 

"In  opere  creationis,  non  fuit  qui  adjuvaret;  in  mysterio  vero 
redemptionis,  voluit  habere  coadjutores." — Set  in.  47. 

"  Regi,  quse  hie  sunt,  commissa  sunt;  mini  coelestia,  mihi  Sacer- 
doti." — De  Vcrbis  Is.  horn.  4. 


156  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

And  Innocent  III.  adds:  "Although  the  dignity  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  was  greater  than  that  of  the  apostles, 
yet  to  these,  and  not  to  her,  were  given  the  keys  of  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  ' 

St.  Peter  Damian  calls  the  priest  the  leader  of  the 
people  of  God.2  St.  Bernard  styles  him  the  guardian  of 
the  Church,  which  is  the  spouse  of  Jesus  Christ.3  St. 
Clement,  an  earthly  god.4  For  by  the  ministry  of 
priests  the  saints  are  formed  on  earth.  St.  Flavian 
says  that  all  the  hope  and  salvation  of  men  is  placed 
in  the  hands  of  priests.5  And  St.  John  Chrysostom 
writes,  "  Our  parents  generate  us  for  the  present  life, 
priests  for  life  eternal."1  Without  priests,  says  St. 
Ignatius  Martyr,  there  would  be  no  saints  on  this  earth.7 
And,  long  before,  holy  Judith  said  that  on  priests  de 
pends  the  salvation  of  the  people.  You  are  the  ancients 
among  the  people  of  God,  and  their  very  soul  resteth  upon  you? 
The  priest  is  the  author  of  holiness  of  life  in  seculars, 
and  on  him  depends  their  salvation.  Hence  St.  Clement 
has  said:  "  Honor  priests  as  those  that  effect  good  con 
duct  in  others."  9 

Great,  then,  beyond  measure,  is  the  dignity  and  office 
of  priests,  but  great  also  is  their  obligation  to  labor  for 

1  "Licet  Beatissima  Virgo  excellentior  fuerit  Apostolis,  non  tamen 
illi,  sed  istis  Dominus  claves  regni  coelorum  commisit." — Cap.  Nova 
quccdam,  de  Pan.  et  Rem. 

2  "Sacerdos,  dux  exercitus  Domini." — Opusc.  25,  c.  2. 
"Sponsae  Custodem." — In  Cant.  s.  77. 

4  "Post  Deum,  terrenus  deus." — Const.  Apost.  1.  2,  c.  26. 

5  "  Nihil  honorabilius  Sacerdotibus;  omnis  enim  spes  atque  salus  in 
iis  est." — Ep.  ad  S.  Leon. 

6  "  Parentes  in  prsesentem,  Sacerdotes  in  vitam  aeternam  nos  gene- 
rant." — De  Sacerd.  \.  3. 

'"Absque  Sacerdotibus,  nulla  sanctorum  congregatio." — Ep.  ad 
Trail. 

"Vos  estis  presbyteri  in  populo  Dei,  et  ex  vobis  pendet  anima 
illorum." — Judith,  viii.  21. 

9  "  Honorate  Sacerdotes,  ut  bene  vivendi  auctores." 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  1 5  7 

the  salvation  of  souls.  For,  says  the  apostle,  every  high- 
priest  taken  from  among  men,  in  the  things  that  appertain  to 
God,  that  he  may  offer  up  gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins.1  He 
afterwards  proceeds  to  say:  Who  can  have  compassion  on 
them  that  are  ignorant.''  The  priest,  then,  is  appointed  by 
God  as  well  to  honor  him  by  sacrifices,  as  also  to  save 
souls  by  instructing  and  converting  sinners. 

A  kingly  priesthood^  .  .  .  a  purchased  people*  The  order 
of  ecclesiastics  differs  altogether  from  that  of  seculars. 
The  latter  attend  to  the  things  of  the  world  and  to  them 
selves,  but  the  former  are  a  purchased  people;  a  people 
whose  business  it  is  to  gain  not  the  goods  of  this  earth, 
but  the  souls  of  men,  says  St.  Ambrose.4  St.  Antonine 
says  that  the  very  name  of  the  priest  explains  the  nature 
of  his  office,  for  sacerdos  signifies  "  he  that  teaches  holy 
things."5  And  St.  Thomas  says,  "He  that  distributes 
holy  things."6  Honorius  of  Autun  says, presbyter  signi- 
nifies  "  he  that  shows  the  way  from  exile  to  our  Country. "; 
St.  Ambrose  calls  priests  the  "  leaders  of  the  flock  of 
Christ."  '  Hence  the  saint  says  in  another  place:  "  May 
the  name  and  the  works  agree,  so  that  the  name  may  not 
remain  a  vain  title  and  may  not  become  the  cause  of 
terrible  crime."1  If,  then,  the  meaning  of  the  words 
sacerdos  and  presbyter  is  to  assist  souls  in  order  to  save 

1  "  Omnis  namque  Pontifex  ex  hominibus  assumptus,  pro  hominibus 
constituitur  in  iis  quae  sunt  ad  Deum,  ut  offerat  dona  et  sacrificia  pro 
peccatis." — Heb.  v.  i. 

2  "Qui  condolere  possit  iis  qui  ignorant  et  errant." — Ibid.  v.  2. 

3  "Regale  sacerdotium,   .   .   .   populus  acquisitions. " — i  Pet.  ii.  9. 

4  "  Clericatus  officium  est  quaestus,  non  pecuniarum,  sed  animarum." 
—Serm.  78. 

6  "Sacerdos,  id  est,  sacra  docens." — Summ.  p.  3,  tit.  14,  c.  7,  §  i. 

6  "Sacerdos,  quasi  sacra  dans." — P.  3,  q.  22,  a.  i. 

7  "  Presbyter  dicitur  praebens  iter  populo  de  exsilio  ad  patriam." — 
Gemma,  an.  1.  i,  c.  181. 

8  "Duces  et  Rectores  gregis  Christi." — De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  2. 

9  "  Nomen  congruat  actioni,  ne  sit  nomen  inane,  crimen  immane." 
-Ibid.  c.  3. 


158  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

and  conduct  them  to  heaven,  let  the  name  and  conduct, 
says  St.  Ambrose,  correspond;  that  the  name  may  not 
be  empty,  and  that  the  honor  of  the  office  may  not  be 
come  a  source  of  guilt.  "  The  misery  of  the  flock  is  the 
shame  of  the  shepherd,"  '  adds  the  same  holy  Doctor. 

If,  then,  says  St.  Jerome,  you  wish  to  perform  the  office 
of  a  priest,  let  the  salvation  of  others  be  the  gain  of  your 
soul.2  And  St.  Anselm  holds  that  the  proper  office  of  a 
priest  is  to  preserve  souls  from  the  corruption  of  the 
world,  and  to  lead  them  to  God.3  Hence  the  Lord  has 
separated  priests  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  that  they 
may  save  themselves  and  others.4  Zeal,  as  St.  Augustine 
says,5  springs  from  love.  Hence,  as  charity  obliges  us 
to  love  God  and  our  neighbor,  so  zeal  obliges  us  first  to 
procure  the  glory  and  to  prevent  the  dishonor  of  God, 
and  afterwards  to  seek  the  welfare  and  to  avert  the  in 
jury  of  our  neighbor. 

It  is  useless  to  say,  I  am  a  simple  priest;  I  have  not 
the  care  of  souls;  it  is  enough  for  me  to  attend  to  my 
self.  No:  every  priest  is  bound  to  attend,  in  the  way  in 
which  he  can,  to  the  salvation  of  souls,  according  to 
their  necessity.  And  in  a  district  in  which  souls  are  in 
grievous  spiritual  necessity  for  want  of  confessors  a 
simple  priest  is,  as  we-  have  proved  in  our  Moral  Theol 
ogy,6  bound  to  hear  confessions;  and  if  he  has  not  the 
necessary  qualifications,  he  is  obliged  to  qualify  himself 
for  the  office  of  confessor.  This  is  the  opinion  that  the 
learned  Father  Pavone  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  has  held 

1  "  Detrimentum  pecoris  pastoris  ignominia  est." — Reg.  Monach.  de 
Laitde  vit. 

2  "  Si  officium  vis  exercere  presbyteri,  aliorum  salutem  fac  lucrum 
animse  tuse." — Ep.  ad  Pattliit. 

3  "  Sacerdotis  proprium  est,  animas  e  mundo  rapere,  et  dare  Deo." 

4  "  De  medio  populi  segregantur,  ut,  non  solum  seipsos,  verum  et 
populum  tueantur." — DC  Dignit.  cler.  c.  2. 

5  In  Ps.  118,  s.  30. 

6  Theolog.  Moral.  1.  6,  n.  625. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  1 59 

in  his  works,  and  not  without  reason;  for  as  God  has 
sent  Jesus  Christ  to  save  the  world,  so  Jesus  Christ  has 
appointed  priests  to  convert  sinners.  As  the  Father  hath 
sent  me,  I  also  send  you?  Hence  the  Council  of  Trent 
ordains  that  they  that  wish  to  receive  priesthood  should 
prove  themselves  fit  for  the  administration  of  the  sacra 
ments.2  For  this  end,  says  the  angelic  Doctor,  God  has 
constituted  the  order  of  priests,  that  they  may  sanctify 
others  by  the  administration  of  the  sacraments.3  And 
priests  are  specially  appointed  to  administer  the  sacra 
ment  of  penance.  For  immediately  after  the  words:  As 
the  Father  hath  sent  me,  etc.?  St.  John  has  added:  When  He 
had  said  this,  He  breathed  on  them;  and  He  said  to  them:  Re 
ceive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost?  Since,  then,  it  is  the  office  of  a 
priest  to  absolve  from  sins,  one  of  his  principal  obliga 
tions  is  to  qualify  himself  for  that  office,  at  least  when 
there  is  necessity,  that  he  may  not  receive  the  reproach 
contained  in  the  words  of  St.  Paul  to  his  companions  in 
the  priesthood:  And  we  helping  to  exhort  you*  that  you  receive 
not  the  grace  of  God  in  vain.6 

Priests,  as  Venerable  Bede  writes,  are  destined  by  God 
to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth,  that  they  may  preserve  souls 
from  the  corruption  of  sins.7  But  if  salt  do  not  perform 
the  office  of  salt,  it  is  fit  only  to  be  cast  out  of  the  house 
of  the  Lord,  and  to  be  trodden  by  all.8 

1  "Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos."— /<?/*;/,  xx.  21. 

2  "  Ad    ministranda    Sacramenta    idonei   comprobentur." — Sess.  23, 
cap.  14,  de  Kef. 

3"Ideo    posuit   Ordinem    in   eo,  ut   quidam   aliis   Sacramenta  tra- 
derent." — Suppl.  q.  34,  a.  i. 
4  "Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos."— -John,  xx.  21. 

"  Hser  cum  dixisset,  insufflavit,  et  dixit  eis:  Accipite  Spiritum 
Sanctum;  quorum  remiseritis  peccata,  remittuntur  eis." — Ibid.  xx.  22. 

"  Adjuvantes  autem,  exhortamur  ne  in  vacuum  gratiam  Dei  reci- 
piatis." — 2  Cor.  vi.  i. 

"Ut  sales,  condiant  animos  ad  corruptionis  sanitatem." 

"Vos  estis  sal  terras.  Quod  si  sal  evanuerit,  in  quo  salietur?  ad 
nihilum  valet  ultra,  nisi  ut  mittatur  foras,  et  conculcetur  ab  homini- 
bus." — Matt.  v.  13. 


160  Material  for  Sermons.  LPARTI. 

Every  priest,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  is,  as  it  were, 
the  father  of  the  whole  world,  and  therefore  should  have 
care  of  all  the  souls  to  whose  salvation  he  can  co-operate 
by  his  labors.1  Besides,  priests  are  appointed  by  God 
as  physicians  to  cure  every  soul  that  is  infirm;  thus 
Origen  has  called  them  "  Physicians  of  souls,"  2  and  St. 
Jerome,  "  Spiritual  physicians."  :i  Hence  St.  Bonaventure 
says,  "  If  the  physician  flees  from  the  sick,  who  will  cure 
them?"4 

Priests  are  also  called  the  walls  of  the  Church:  "The 
Church  has  her  walls,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  that  is,  her 
apostolic  men." !  And  the  author  of  the  "  Imperfect 
Work"  says,  "Her  walls  are  the  priests."'  They  are 
also  called  the  stones  that  support  the  Church  of  God,7 
and  by  St.  Eucherius  they  are  called  the  pillars  that 
sustain  the  tottering  world.8  Finally,  they  are  called  by 
St.  Bernard  the  very  house  of  God.  Hence  we  may  say 
with  St.  John  Chrysostom,  that  if  a  part  of  the  house 
fall,  the  injury  may  be  easily  repaired;9  but  if  the  walls 
fall,  if  the  foundations  and  the  pillars  that  sustain  the 
edifice  give  way;  finally,  if  the  whole  house  tumbles  to 
the  ground, — how  can  the  loss  be  ever  repaired  ?  More 
over,  priests  are  called  by  the  same  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
the  husbandmen  of  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.10  But,  O 

1  "  Quasi  totius  orbis  pater  Sacerdos  est;  dignum  igitur  est  ut  om 
nium  curam  agat,  sicut  et  Deus,  cujus  fungitur  vice." — In  i  Tim. 
horn.  6. 

5  "Medicos  animarum." 

3  "Medicos  spirituales." 

4  "  Si  medicus  fugit  aegrotos,  quis  curabit?" — De   Sex  Alls  Scr.  c.  5. 

5  "  Habet  et  Ecclesia  muros  suos." — In  Ps.  118,  s.  22. 

6  "  Muri  illius  sunt  Sacerdotes." — Horn.  10. 

7  "  Lapides  sanctuarii." — Lam.  iv.  i. 

8  "  Columnar  sanctorum,  merita  Sacerdotum  sunt,  qui  nutantis  mundi 
statum  orationibus  sustinent." — Horn,  de  Dcdic.  eccl. 

9  "  Si  pars  domus  fuerit  corrupta,  facilis  est  reparatio." — Horn.  47. 

10  "  Coloni  populum,  quasi  vineam,  colentes." — Horn.  40. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  161 

God  !  exclaims  St.  Bernard  with  tears,  the  husbandmen 
sweat  and  labor  the  whole  day  in  the  cultivation  of  their 
own  vineyards.1  But  what  are  the  occupations  of  priests 
whom  God  has  appointed  to  cultivate  his  vineyard  ? 
They  are,  continues  the  saint,  always  corrupted  with 
idleness  and  worldly  pleasures,2 

The  harvest  is  indeed  great,  but  the  laborers-are  feu>.3  No : 
the  bishops  and  parish  priests  are  not  sufficient  for  the 
spiritual  wants  of  the  people.  If  God  had  not  destined 
other  priests  to  assist  souls,  he  should  not  have  suffi 
ciently  provided  for  his  Church.  St.  Thomas  4  says  that 
the  twelve  apostles  destined  by  Jesus  Christ  for  the  con 
version  of  the  world  represented  the  bishops,  and  the 
seventy-two  disciples  represented  all  priests  ordained 
for  the  salvation  of  souls,  the  fruit  which  the  Redeemer 
demands  of  his  priests:  I  have  chosen  you  that  you  should 
go,  and  should  bring  forth  fruit!"  Hence  St.  Augustine 
calls  priests  the  administrators  of  the  interests  of 
God.6  To  priests  has  been  intrusted  the  duty  of  ex 
tirpating  vice  and  pernicious  maxims  from  the  minds  of 
the  people,  and  of  infusing  into  them  the  virtues  of  the 
Gospel  and  the  maxims  of  eternity.  On  the  day  God 
raises  a  man  to  the  priesthood  he  says  to  him  what  he 
said  to  Jeremiah:  Lo,  I  have  set  thee  thus  over  the  nations^ 
and  over  kingdoms,  to  root  up  and  pull  down,  and  to  waste 
and  to  destroy,  and  to  build  and  to  plant.'1 

I  do  not  know  how  a  priest  can  be  excused  from  sin, 
who  sees  the  people  of  the  district  in  grievous  neces- 

1  "  Sudant  agricolae,  putant  et  fodiunt  vinitores." 

2  "  Torpent  otio,  madent  deliciis." — Declam.  n.  TO,  n. 

3  "  Messis  quidem  multa,  operarii  autem  pauci." — Matt.  ix.  37. 

4  2.  2,  q.  184,  a.  6. 

5  "  Posui  vos,  ut  eatis  et  fructum  afferatis." — John,  xv.  16. 

6  "  Eorum  quae  Dei  sunt  negotiatores." — Ad  Frat.  in  er.  s.  36. 

7  "  Ecce  constitui  te  hodie   super  gentes  et  super  regna,  ut  evellas, 
et  destruas,  et  disperdas,  et  dissipes,  et  aedifices,  et  plantes." — Jer.  i. 
10. 


1 62  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

sity,  and  is  able  to  assist  them  by  teaching  the  truths  of 
faith,  or  by  preaching  the  divine  word,  and  even  by 
hearing  confessions,  and  through  sloth  neglects  to  give 
them  spiritual  aid  ?  I  know  not,  I  say,  how  he  can 
escape  on  the  day  of  judgment  the  reproof  and  chastise 
ment  threatened  against  the  slothful  servant  who  hid 
the  talent  given  to  him,  that  he  might  trade  with  it.  The 
master  gave  him  that  talent  that  he  might  trade  with  it, 
but  he  hid  it;  and  when  the  master  demanded  an  ac 
count  of -the  profit  he  had  received  from  it,  he  answered: 
I  hid  thy  talent  in  the  earth  ;  behold,  here  thou  hast  that  which 
is  thine.1  But  for  hiding  the  talent  the  master  reproved 
him,  saying:  What!  I  have  given  you  a  talent  that  you 
might  trade  with  it;  this  is  the  talent,  but  where  are  the 
profits  ?  He  then  took  the  talent  from  him,  commanded 
it  to  be  given  to  another,  and  ordered  him  to  be  cast 
into  exterior  darkness:  Take  ye  away  therefore  the  talent 
from  him,  and  give  it  him  that  hath  ten  talents;  .  .  .  and  the 
unprofitable  servant  cast  ye  out  into  the  exterior  darkness?  To 
be  cast  into  exterior  darkness  means,  according  to  the 
commentators,  to  be  sent  into  the  fire  of  hell,  which 
gives  no  light,  and  to  be  excluded  from  heaven. 

This  passage  is  applied  by  St.  Ambrose,3  Calmet, 
Cornelius  a  Lapide,  and  Tirinus  to  those  that  can  pro 
cure  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  neglect  to  do  it,  either 
through  negligence  or  through  a  vain  fear  of  commit- 
ing  sin.  "  This,"  says  Father  Cornelius,  "  is  advice  to 
those  who  through  indifference  or  a  vain  fear  of  sin 
ning  do  not  devote  to  the  salvation  of  their  neighbor 
the  lights,  the  talents  that  they  receive  from  God;  no 
doubt  Christ  will  ask  of  them  an  account  on  the  day  of 

1  "Abscond!  talentum  tuum  in  terra;  ecce  habes  quod  tuum  est." — 
Matt.  xxv.  25. 

2  "  Tollite  itaque  ab  eo  talentum,  et  date  ei'qui  habet  decem  talenta; 
.  .   .  et  inutilem  servum  ejicite  in  tenebras  exteriores." 

3  De  Dignit.  sac.  c.  I. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  163 

judgment."1  And  St.  Gregory  says:  "Hear!  whoever 
does  not  wish  to  employ  his  talents  will  be  cast  out  by  a 
sentence  of  damnation."  a  Peter  de  Blois  writes:  "  Who 
ever  employs  God's  gifts  for  the  good  of  others  deserves 
to  have  a  greater  measure  of  what  he  already  possesses; 
but  from  him  who  hides  the  Lord's  talent  will  be  taken 
what  he  seems  to  possess."1  St.  John  Chrysostom  says 
that  he  cannot  conceive  how  a  priest  can  be  saved  who 
does  nothing  for  the  salvation  of  his  neighbor.4  After 
having  mentioned  the  parable  of  the  talent,  he  says  that 
for  a  priest  the  neglect  of  having  employed  the  talent 
given  to  him  is  criminal,  and  shall  be  the  cause  of  his 
damnation.5  Addressing  those  who  say,  "  I  am  satisfied 
if  only  I  save  my  soul,"  °  St.  Augustine  says,  "  Do  you 
not  recall  to  mind  the  servant  who  buried  his  talent  ?" 

St.  Prosper  says  that  to  save  his  own  soul  it  will  not 
be  enough  for  a  priest  to  lead  a  holy  life,  for  he  shall  be 
damned  with  those  that  are  lost  through  his  fault.7  In 
one  of  the  apostolical  canons  we  read  the  following  words: 

"  Notent  hoc  qui  ingenio,  doctrina,  aliisque  dotibus  sibi  a  Deo 
datis,  non  utuntur  ad  suam  aliorumque  salutem,  ob  desidiam  vel  me- 
tum  peccandi;  ab  his  enim  rationem  exposcet  Christus  in  die  judicii." 
— In  Matt.  25,  1 8. 

2  "  Audiant  quod  talentum  qui  erogare  noluit,  cum  sententia  dam- 
nationis  amisit." — Past.  p.  3,  c.  I.  adm.  26. 

3  "Qui    Dei    donum    in    utilitatem    alienam    communicat,    plenius 
meretur  habere  quod  habet;  qui  autem  talentum   Domini  abscondit, 
quod  videtur  habere,  auferetur  ab  eo." — DC  Inst.  Episc. 

"  Neque  id  mihi  persuasi,  salvum  fieri  quemquam  posse,  qui  pro 
proximi  sui  salute  nihil  laboris  impendent." 

"  Neque  juvabit  talentum  sibi  traditum  non  imminuisse;  immo  hoc 
ille  nomine  periit,  quod  non  auxisset  et  duplicasset." — DC  Sacerd.  1.  6. 

"Sufficit  mihi  anima  mea.  Eia,  non  tibi  venit  in  mentem  servus 
ille  qui  abscondit  talentum." — In  Jos.  tr.  10. 

"Ille  cui  dispensatio  verbi  commissa  est,  etiam  si  sancte  vivat,  et 
tamen  perdite  viventes  arguere,  aut  erubescat  aut  metuat,  cum  omni 
bus  qui  eo  tacente  perierunt,  peril;  et  quid  ei  proderit  non  puniri  suo, 
qui  puniendus  est  alieno  peccaio!"— De  Vit.  cont.  1.  i,  c.  20. 


164  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

"  The  priest  that  does  not  take  care  of  the  clerics  or  of 
the  people  should  be  punished,  and  if  he  perseveres  in 
his  carelessness,  let  him  be  deposed."  Why,  says  St. 
Leo,  should  you  take  the  honor  of  the  priesthood  if  you 
will  not  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ?2  The  Council 
of  Cologne  declared  that  if  a  person  take  the  Order  of 
priesthood  without  the  intention  of  performing  the 
office  of  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  or  of  saving  souls,  a  great 
and  certain  chastisement  is  reserved  for  him,  as  for  a 
wolf  and  a  robber,  which  he  is  called  in  the  Gospel.3 

St.  Isidore  does  not  hesitate  to  charge  with  mortal 
sin  the  priest  that  neglects  to  instruct  the  ignorant  and 
to  convert  sinners.4  And  St.  John  Chrysostom  says, 
"  Not  on  account  of  their  own,  but  on  account  of  the 
sins  of  others  that  they  did  not  prevent,  priests  are 
often  condemned  to  hell."  r'  St.  Thomas,  speaking  of 
a  simple  priest,  says  that  the  priest  that  fails  either 
through  negligence  or  ignorance  to  assist  souls,  renders 
himself  accountable  to  God  for  all  the  souls  that  are 
lost  through  his  fault/  St.  John  Chrysostom  says  the 
same:  "  If  priests  take  care  only  of  their  own  souls,  and 

1  "  Presbyter  qui  cleri  vel  populi  curam  non  gerit,  segregatur;  et  si 
in  secordia  perseveret,  deponatur." — Can.  57. 

'2  "Qua  conscientia  honorem  sibi  debltum  vendicant,  qui  pro  ani- 
mabus  sibi  creditis  non  laborant." — Ep.  ad  Ttirrib.  c.  16. 

3  "  Sacerdotio  initiandus  non  alio  affectu  accedere  debet,  quam  ad 
submittendos  humeros  publico  muneri  vice  Christi  in  Ecclesia.       Qui 
alio  affectu  sacros  Ordines  ambiunt,  hos  Scriptura  lupos  et  latrones 
appellat.   .   .   .   Quod  ingens  ultio  tandem  certo  subsequetur." 

4  "  Sacerdotes    pro    populorum    iniquitate    damnantur,    si    eos   aut 
ignorantes  non  erudiant  aut  peccantes  non  arguant." — Sent.  1.  3,  c. 
46. 

5  "  Snepe   non   damnantur   propriis   peccatis,  sed   alienis  quae  non 
coercuerunt." 

6  "  Si  enim  Sacerdos,  ex  ignorantia  vel  negligentia,   non  exponat 
populo  viam  salutis,  reus  erit  apud  Deum  animarum  illarum  quse  sub 
ipso  perierunt." — De  Officio  Sac. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  165 

neglect  the  souls  of  others,  they  will  be  condemned  to 
hell  with  the  damned."  ] 

A  certain  priest  in  Rome  felt  great  fears  at  death  for 
his  eternal  salvation,  although  he  had  led  a  life  of  retire 
ment  and  piety.  Being  asked  why  he  was  so  much 
afraid,  he  answered:  "  I  am  afraid,  because  I  have  not 
labored  for  the  salvation  of  souls."  He  had  reason  to 
tremble,  since  the  Lord  employs  priests  to  save  souls, 
and  to  rescue  them  from  vice.  Hence,  if  a  priest  do  not 
fulfil  this  duty,  he  must  render  to  God  an  account  of  all 
the  souls  that  are  lost  through  his  fault:  If  when  I  say  to 
the  wicked,  Thou  shalt  surely  die;  thou  declare  it  not  to  him, 
nor  speak  to  him,  that  he  may  be  converted  from  his  wicked 
way  ana  live;  the  same  wicked  man  shall  die  in  his  iniquity,  but 
I  will  require  his  blood  at  thy  hand?  Thus,  says  St.  Greg 
ory,  speaking  of  idle  priests,  they  shall  be  accountable 
before  God  for  the  souls  whom  they  could  assist,  and 
who  are  lost  through  their  negligence.3 

Jesus  Christ  has  redeemed  souls  with  the  price  of  his 
blood:  For  you  are  bought  with  a  great  price?  But  these 
souls  the  Redeemer  has  intrusted  to  the  care  of  priests. 
Unhappy  me,  said  St.  Bernard,  when  he  saw  himself  a 
priest,  if  I  be  negligent  in  taking  care  of  this  deposit; 
that  is,  of  the  souls  whom  the  Redeemer  considered  to 
be  more  precious  than  his  own  blood.5  Seculars  have 
to  render  an  account  of  their  own  sins,  but  priests  must 

1  "  Si  Sacerdos  suam  tantum  disposuerit  salvare  animam,  et  alienas 
neglexerit,  cum  impiis  detrudetur  in  gehennam." 

2  "Si,  dicente  me  adimpium:  Morte  morieris; — non  annuntiaveris 
ei,  neque  locutus  fueris    ut  avertatur  a  via  sua  impia,  et   vivat,  ipse 
impius  in  iniquitate  sua  morietur,  sanguinem  autem  ejus  de  manu  tua 
requiram." — Ezech.  iii.  18. 

"  Ex  tantis  procul  dubio  rei  sunt,  quantis,  venientes  ad  publicum, 
prodesse  potuerunt." — Past.  p.  i,  c.  5. 

4  "  Empti  enim  estis  pretio  magno." — i  Cor.  vi.  20. 

5  "  Si  depositum,  quod    sibi  Christus    sanguine    proprio  pretiosius 
iudicavitx  contigerit  negligentius  custodire." — In  Adv*  Dom*  s.  3. 


1 66  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

render  an  account  of  the  sins  of  all,  says  the  author  of 
the  Imperfect  Work.1  And  before  him  the  apostle  said: 
For  they  watch  as  being  to  render  an  account  of  your  souls? 
Thus  the  sins  of  others  are  imputed  to  the  priest  that 
neglects  to  prevent  them,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom.3 
Hence  St.  Augustine  has  said:  "  If  on  the  day  of  judg 
ment  one  can  scarcely  render  an  account  of  one's  own  soul, 
how  will  the  priest  fare  if  he  has  to  render  an  account  of 
all  sins?"  4  Speaking  of  those  that  become  priests  not  to 
save  souls,  but  to  secure  a  more  comfortable  means  of 
living,  St.  Bernard  says,  Oh,  how  much  better  would  it 
have  been  for  them  to  labor  in  the  field,  or  to  beg,  than 
to  have  taken  to  the  priesthood!  On  the  day  of  judg 
ment  they  shall  hear  complaints  against  them  from  so 
many  souls  that  have  been  damned  through  their  sloth.5 

II. 

The  Pleasure  that  a  Priest  who   Labors  for  the  Salvation  of 
Souls  gives  to  God. 

To  understand  how  ardently  God  desires  the  salvation 
of  souls,  it  is  enough  to  consider  what  he  has  done  in 
the  work  of  the  redemption  of  man.  Jesus  Christ  clearly 
expressed  this  desire  when  he  said:  /  have  a  baptism, 
wherewith  I  am  to  be  baptized ;  and  how  am  I  straitened  until 
it  be  accomplished?  He  said  that  he  felt  as  if  swooning 

1  "  Unusquisque  pro  suo  peccato  reddet  rationem;  Sacerdotes,  pro 
omnium  peccatis." — Horn.  38. 

2  "  Ipsi  enim  pervigilant,  quasi  rationem  pro  animabus  vestris  red- 
dituri." — Heb.  xiii.  17. 

3  "  Quod  alii  peccant,  illi  imputatur." — In  Act.  horn.  3. 

4  "Si  pro  se  unusquisque  vix  poterit,  in  die  judicii,  rationem  red- 
dere,  quid  de  Sacerdotibus  futurum  est,  a  quibus  sunt  omnium  animse 
requirendre?  ' — Serm.  287,  R.  B.  app. 

6  "  Bonum  erat  magis  fodere,  aut  etiam  mendicare,  Venient,  veni- 
ent  ante  tribunal  Christi;  audietur  populorum  querela,  quorum  vixere 
stipendiis,  nee  diluerunt  peccata  !" — Declam.  n.  19. 

6  "  Baptismo  autem  habeo  baptizari;  et  quomodo  coarctor  usque- 
dum  perficiatur  ?." — Luke,  xii.  5Ov. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  167 

away  through  the  ardor  with  which  he  wished  to  see  the 
work  of  redemption  accomplished,  that  men  might  be 
saved.  From  this  St.  John  Chrysostom  justly  infers, 
that  there  is  nothing  more  acceptable  to  God  than  the 
salvation  of  souls.1  And  before  him  St.  Justin  said: 
"  Nothing  is  so  pleasing  to  God  as  to  labor  to  make 
others  better."2  Our  Lord  once  said  to  Bernard  Col- 
nado,  a  priest  who  had  labored  much  for  the  conversion 
of  sinners:  "  Labor  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  for  this 
is  what  is  most  pleasing  to  me.":  This  is  so  dear  to 
God,  adds  Clement  of  Alexandria,  that  the  salvation  of 
men  appears  to  be  his  sole  concern.4  Hence,  addressing 
a  priest,  St.  Laurence  Justinian  said:  "If  you  wish  to 
honor  God,  you  can  do  no  better  than  labor  in  behalf 
of  the  salvation  of  souls."  ' 

St.  Bernard  says  that  in  the  eyes  of  God  a  soul  is 
more  valuable  than  the  whole  world.6  Hence,  accord 
ing  to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  a  person  pleases  God  more 
by  converting  a  single  soul  than  by  giving  all  his  goods, 
to  the  poor.7  Tertullian  asserts  that  to  God  the  sal 
vation  of  a  single  sheep  that  has  strayed  away,  is  as  dear 
as  the  salvation  of  the  entire  flock.8  Hence  the  Apostle 

1  "  Nihil  itagratum  Deo,  et  ita  curse,  ut  animarum  salus." — In  Gen. 
horn.  3. 

2  "Nihil  tam   Deo  gratum,  quam  operam  dare  ut  omnes  reddantur 
meliores." 

3  "  Labora  pro  salute  peccatorum;  hoc  enim  prae  omnibus  est  mihi 
carissimum." 

4  "  Nihil  aliud  est  Domino  curae,   praeterquam  hoc  solum  opus,  ut 
homo  salvus  fiat." — Oral,  ad  Gentes. 

5  "  Si  Deum  honorare  conaris,  non  aliter  melius.  quam  in  hominis 
salute,  poteris  actitare." — DC  Compunct.  p.  2. 

6  "  Totus  iste  mundus  ad  unius  animas  pretium  aestimari  non  po- 
test." — Medit.  c.  3. 

7  "  Etsi  ingentes  erogaveris  pecunias,  plus  efficieris,  si  unam  con- 
verteris  animam." — In  I  Cor.  horn.  3. 

8  "Erat  una  pastoris  ovicula;  sed  grex  una  carior  non  erat." — De 
r<Knit. 


1 68  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

said:  I  live  in  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me  and 
delivered  Himself  up  for  me.1  By  these  words  he  signified 
that  Jesus  Christ  would  have  died  as  soon  for  a  single 
soul  as  for  the  salvation  of  all  men,  says  St.  John  Chry- 
sostom  in  his  comment  on  this  passage.2  This  our  Re 
deemer  gave  us  to  understand  by  the  parable  of  the  groat 
that  had  been  lost.  On  this  parable  St.  Thomas  writes: 
"  He  calls  together  all  the  angels,  not  that  all  men,  but 
that  he  himself  may  be  congratulated  on  account  of 
the  groat  that  was  found,  as  if  man  were  God's  God,  as 
if  his  salvation  depended  on  man's  finding  him,  and  as  if 
God  could  not  be  happy  "without  him.'' ; 

It  is  related  by  several  authors*  of  St.  Carpus,  Bishop, 
that  he  had  a  vision  in  which  he  seemed  to  see  a  scandal 
ous  sinner  who  had  induced  an  innocent  person  to  com 
mit  sin,  and  that  he  felt  himself  impelled  by  zeal  to 
throw  him  into  a  precipice  on  the  brink  of  which  he 
stood,  but  Jesus  Christ  appeared  to  support  the  sinner 
with  his  hand,  and  said  to  St.  Carpus:  "  Strike  me,  for  I 
am  ready  again  to  die  for  sinners."'  As  if  he  said: 
Hold,  strike  me  rather  than  this  sinner;  for  I  have  given 
my  life  for  him,  and  am  ready  to  give  it  again  to  save 
him  from  perdition. 

The  ecclesiastical  spirit,  says  Louis  Habert,5  consists 

1  "  Dilexit  me,  et  tradidit  semetipsum  pro  me." — Gal.  ii.  20. 
8  "  Neque   enim  recusaturus  esset  vel  ob  unum  hominem  tantam 
exhibere  dispensationem." 

3  "  Omnes  Angelos  convocat  ad  congratulandum  non  homini,  sed 
sibi,  quasi  homo   Dei   Deus  esset,  et  tota  salus   divina  ab  ipsius  in- 
ventione  dependeret,  et  quasi  sine  ipso  beatus  esse  non  posset." — De 
Beat.  c.  7. 

4  "  Percute  me,  quia  iterum  pro  peccatoribus  mori  paratus  sum." 

5  "  Essentialiter  consistit  in  ardenti  studio  promovendi  gloriam  Dei 
et  salutem  proximi." — De  Sacr.  Ord.  p.  3,  c.  5. 

*  The  first  of  these  authors  is  St.  Denis  the  Areopagite  (Ep.  ad 
Demoph.},  and  it  is  believed  that  St.  Carpus,  who  had  this  vision,  is 
the  one  of  v*h<Ma>  SU  Paul  speaks  in  2.  Tim.  iv.  13. — ED. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  \  69 

precisely  in  an  ardent  zeal  for  promoting  the  glory  of 
God,  and  the  salvation  of  our  neighbor.  Hence,  accord 
ing  to  Natalis  Alexander,  they  that  wish  to  attend  only 
to  themselves,  and  not  toothers,  should  not  be  admitted 
to  the  priesthood.1  The  Lord  commanded2  that  the 
priests  of  the  Old  Law  should  wear  vestments  covered 
all  over  with  certain  circles,  which  resembled  eyes,  to 
show,  as  a  certain  author  says,  that  the  priest  should  be 
all  eyes  to  attend  to  the  sanctification  of  the  people. 
St.  Augustine  says  that  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
and  for  the  promotion  of  divine  love  in  all  men  springs 
from  love.  Then,  adds  the  saint,  he  that  has  not  zeal, 
shows  that  he  does  not  love  God;  and  he  that  does  not 
love  God  is  lost.3  He  that  watches  over  his  own  soul 
pleases  God;  but  he  that  watches  over  the  souls  of  his 
neighbors,  pleases  him  still  more,  says  St.  Bernard.4 

God,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  has  no  better  proof 
of  the  fidelity  and  affection  of  a  soul  than  in  seeing  her 
zealous  for  the  welfare  of  her  neighbor.5  The  Saviour 
three  times  asked  St.  Peter  if  he  loved  him:  Simon,  son 
of  John,  lovest  thou  Me  ?  6  When  assured  of  Peter's  love, 
Jesus  Christ  asked  him  to  do  nothing  else  in  proof  of 
his  love  than  to  take  care  of  souls:  He  said  to  him:  Feed 
My  sheep}  On  this  passage  St.  John  Chrysostom  says: 
"  The  Lord  might  have  said,  If  you  love  me,  cast  away 

1  "  Quis  ferat    presbyterum    ordinari,  ut  sibi    tantum  vacet,  et  non 
aliis  ?"— De  Ord.  c.  3,  a.  5,  reg.  22. 

2  Exod.  xxviii. 

3  "  Zelus  est  effectus  amoris;  ergo,  qui  non  zelat,  non  amat;  qui  non 
amat,  manet  in  morte." 

4  "  Tu  quidem,  in  tui  custodia  vigilans,  bene  facis;  sed,  qui  juvat 
multos,  melius  facit." — In  Cant.  s.  12. 

5  "  Nihil   adeo   declarat  quis   sit  fidelis  et   amans  Christi,  quam  si 
fratrum    curam    agat;  hoc    maximum    amicitise   argumentum    est." — 
Serm.  de  B.  Philog. 

^  6  "Simon  Joannis,  amas  me?" — John,xxi.  17. 
7  "  Pasce  oves  meas/' 


1 70  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

money,  practise  strict  fast,  sleep  on  the  hard  floor,  and 
macerate  yourself  by  hard  labor.  But  no;  he  says,  Feed 
my  sheep."1  On  the  word  my,  St.  Augustine  remarks 
that  our  Lord  wished  to  say:  "  Feed  them  as  my  sheep, 
not  as  thine;  seek  in  them  my  glory,  not  thine;  my 
profit,  not  thine."  2  In  these  words  the  saint  has  taught 
that  he  that  desires  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
should  seek  neither  his  own  glory  nor  his  own  gain,  but 
only  the  advancement  of  the  divine  glory. 

After  reading  the  lives  of  the  holy  martyrs,  and  of  the 
holy  workmen  in  God's  vineyard,  St.  Teresa3  said  that 
she  envied  the  latter  more  than  the  former,  on  account 
of  the  great  glory  which  they  that  labor  for  the  con 
version  of  sinners  give  to  God.  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna 
used  to  kiss  the  ground  that  had  been  trodden  by  priests 
employed  in  saving  souls.  Such  was  her  zeal  for  the 
salvation  of  sinners,  that  she  desired  to  be  placed  at  the 
mouth  of  hell,  that  no  soul  might  enter  into  that  land 
of  torment.  And  what  do  we,  who  are  priests,  say  ? 
What  do  we  do  ?  We  see  so  many  souls  perish,  and 
shall  we  remain  idle  spectators  of  their  perdition  ? 

St.  Paul  said  that  to  obtain  the  salvation  of  his  neigh 
bors  he  would  have  consented  to  be  separated  from  Jesus 
Christ,  that  is,  according  to  commentators,  for  a  time: 
For  I  wished  myself  to  be  an  anathema  from  Christ,  for  my 
brethren?  St.  John  Chrysostom  desired  to  be  blind,  pro 
vided  the  souls  under  his  care  were  converted.5  St. 

1  "  Poterat    dicere:  Si    amas    me,  abjice    pecunias,  jejunia   exerce, 
raacera  te  laboribus.     Nunc  vero  ait:  '  Pasce  oves  meas.'  " — Serm.  de 
B.  Philog. 

2  "  Sicut  meas  pasce,  non  sicut  tuas;  gloriam  meam  in  eis  quaere, 
non  tuam;  lucra  mea,  non  tua." — /;/  Jo.  tr.  123. 

3  Found,  ch.  i. 

4  "  Optabam  enim   ego  ipse  anathema  esse  a  Christo  pro  fratribus 
meis." — Rom.  ix.  3. 

5  "  Millies  optarem  ipse  exsecrabilis  esse,  si  per  hoc  liceret  animas 
vestras  convertere." — In  Act.  horn.  3. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  \  7 1 

Bonaventure  declared  that  he  would  have  accepted  as 
many  deaths  as  there  are  sinners  in  the  world,  that  all 
might  be  saved.1  During  a  winter  which  he  spent 
among  the  heretics  of  Chablais,  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
used  to  creep  over  a  river  on  a  beam  of  ice,  with  great 
risk  and  inconvenience  to  himself,  in  order  to  preach  to 
them.  Being  in  Naples  during  the  great  revolution  of 
1647  and  seeing  the  great  loss  of  souls  which  it  caused, 
St.  Cajetan  felt  so  intense  a  sorrow  that  he  died  of  grief. 
St.  Ignatius  used  to  say  that  he  would  rather  live  un 
certain  of  his  eternal  lot  than  die  with  a  certainty  of 
salvation,  provided  he  could  continue  to  assist  souls. 
Behold  the  zeal  for  souls  which  animated  priests  that 
loved  God!  And  still,  in  order  to  avoid  a  trifling  in 
convenience,  or  through  fear  of  illness,  some  even  among 
those  that  are  charged  with  the  care  of  souls  withhold 
the  aid  of  their  ministry.  St.  Charles  Borromeo  used  to 
say,  that  a  pastor  of  souls,  who  wishes  to  have  every 
convenience,  and  to  take  all  the  precautions  that  may 
be  useful  to  health,  will  never  be  able  to  fulfil  his 
duties.  Hence  he  would  add,  that  a  parish  priest  should 
not  go  to  bed  till  after  the  third  paroxysm  of  fever. 

He  that  truly  loves  God,  says  St.  Augustine,2  does 
everything  in  his  power  to  draw  all  to  his  love,  and  can 
say  with  David:  O  magnify  the  Lord  with  me;  and  let  us 
extol  His  name  together?  He  goes  in  every  direction: 
exhorting  in  the  pulpit  and  in  the  confessional,  in  the 
public  places  and  in  private  houses,  saying,  Brethren, 
let  us  love  God,  let  us  praise  his  name,  in  words  and 
works. 

1  Stim.  div.  am.  p.  2,  c.  1 1. 

2  "  Si  amatis  Deum,  rapite  omnes  ad  amorem  Dei." — In  Ps.  53,  en.  1. 

3  "  Magnificate  Dominum  mecum,  et  exaltemus  nomen  ejus  in  idip- 
sum." — Ps.  xxxiii.  4. 


172  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 


ill. 

How  Secure  the  Priest  who  Labors  for  the  Salvation  of  Souls 
Renders  his  own  Salvation,  and  how  Great  the  Reward 
that  he  shall  receive  in  Heaven. 

The  priest  who  has  labored  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
can  hardly  die  a  bad  death.  When  thou  shalt  pour  out, 
says  the  prophet  Isaias,  thy  soul  to  the  hungry,  and  shalt 
satisfy  the  afflicted  soul,  then  shall  thy  light  rise  up  in  dark 
ness.  .  .  .  Ana  the  Lord  will  give  thee  rest  continually,  and 
will  fill  thy  soul  with  brightness,  and  deliver  thy  bones.1  If 
you  have  spent  your  life  in  assisting  a  soul  in  need,  and 
have  consoled  her  in  her  afflictions,  in  the  darkness  of 
your  temporal  death,  the  Lord  shall  fill  you  with  light, 
and  shall  deliver  you  from  eternal  death.  This  was  the 
doctrine  of  St.  Augustine:  "  In  saving  a  soul  thou  hast 
predestined  your  own,"  says  the  holy  Doctor.2  And, 
long  before,  the  apostle  St.  James  said:  He  must  know, 
that  he  who  causeth  a  sinner  to  be  converted  from  the  error  of 
his  way,  shall  save  his  soul  (that  is,  his  own  soul,  as  appears 
from  the  Greek  text)  from  death,  and  shall  cover  a  multitude 
of  sins? 

A  priest  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  who  during  life  devoted 
a  great  deal  of  time  to  the  conversion  of  sinners,  died 
with  joy  and  confidence  of  salvation;  this  some  con 
sidered  to  be  excessive.  Hence  he  was  told  that  at  death 
we  should  entertain  sentiments  of  fear  as  well  as  of  confi 
dence.  He  answered:  Have  I  served  Mahomet?  I  have 
served  a  God  who  is  so  grateful  and  faithful;  why,  then, 
should  I  fear?  When  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  declared 

1  "  Cum  effuderis  animam  tuam,  et  animam  afflictam  repleveris,  orie- 
tur  in  tenebris  lux  tua;  .   .   .   et  requiem  tibi  dabit  Dominus  semper,  et 
implebit  splendoribus  animam  tuam,  et  ossa  tua  liberabit." — Is.  Iviii.  10. 

2  "Animam  salvasti,  animam  tuam  praedestinasti." 

3  "  Qui  convert!  fecerit  peccatorem  ab  errore  viae  suse,  salvabit  animam 
ejus  a  morte,  et  operiet  mulutudinem  peccatorum. " — James,  v.  20. 


CHAP,  ix.i  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  173 

that  in  order  to  assist  souls  he  would  remain  on  earth 
in  an  uncertainty  about  his  salvation,  though  he  was 
certain  that  by  dying  he  should  be  saved,  a  person  said: 
"But,  Father,  it  is  not  prudent  to  expose  your  own  soul 
to  danger  for  the  salvation  of  others."  The  saint  replied, 
"  Is  God  a  tyrant,  who,  after  seeing  me  risk  my  salvation 
in  order  to  gain  souls,  would  send  me  to  hell  ?" 

After  having  saved  the  Jews  from  the  hands  of  the 
Philistines,  by  the  victory  that  he  won  with  so  much 
personal  danger,  Jonathan  was  condemned  to  death  by 
Saul  for  having,  contrary  to  "his  orders,  eaten  a  little 
honey  But  the  people  cried  out,  Shall  Jonathan  then 
die,  who  hath  wrought  this  great  salvation  in  Israel?  l  Why, 
O  king,  said  they,  should  Jonathan  be  put  to  death  after 
having  saved  us  all  from  destruction  ?  Thus  they  ob 
tained  his  pardon.  The  priest  who  has  saved  souls  may 
well  expect  a  similar  reward  on  the  day  of  his  death. 
These  souls  shall  come  and  say  to  Jesus  Christ:  Wilt 
Thou,  O  Lord,  send  to  hell  the  priest  who  has  delivered 
us  from  eternal  misery  ?  And  if  Saul  remitted  the 
punishment  of  death  at  the  prayers  of  the  people,  surely 
God  will  not  refuse  to  pardon  such  a  priest  for  the 
prayers  of  the  souls  that  are  his  friends  in  heaven. 
Priests  who  have  labored  for  the  salvation  of  souls  shall 
hear  from  God  himself  the  announcement  of  eternal 
rest:  From  henceforth  now,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may 
rest  from  their  labors?  Oh  !  what  consolation  and  confi 
dence  shall  the  remembrance  of  having  gained  a  soul  to 
Jesus  Christ  infuse  at  the  hour  of  death  !  As  repose  is 
sweet  to  him  who  is  oppressed  with  fatigue, — Sleep  is 
sweet  to  a  laboring  man? — so  death  is  sweet  to  a  priest 
who  has  labored  for  God. 

1  "  Erg-one  Jonathas  morietur,  qui  fecit  salutem  hanc  magnam  in  Is 
rael  ?" — i  Kings,  xiv.  45. 

2  "  Amodo  jam  dicit  spiritus,  ut  requiescant  a  laboribus  suis;  opera 
enim  illomm  sequuntur  illos." — Apoc.  xiv.  13. 

3  "  Dulcis  est  somnus  operand." — Eccles.  v.  n. 


1 74  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

St.  Gregory  says  that  the  more  souls  a  sinner  shall 
have  converted  from  their  sins,  the  sooner  he  shall  be 
absolved  from  his  own  transgressions.1  He  that  has  the 
good  fortune  of  being  employed  in  converting  sinners 
has  a  great  mark  of  predestination,  and  of  being  written 
in  the  book  of  life.  This  the  Apostle  insinuated  when, 
in  speaking  of  those  that  assisted  him  in  the  conversion 
of  nations,  he  said:  /  entreat  thee  also,  my  sincere  com 
panion,  help  those  women  that  have  labored  with  me  in  the 
Gospel  with  Clement  and  the  rest  of  my  fellow-laborers,  whose 
names  are  (mark  these  words)  in  the  book  of  life? 

With  regard  to  the  great  reward  that  priests  who 
labor  for  souls  shall  receive,  Daniel  said:  They  shall 
shine  .  .  .  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament :  and  they  that 
instruct  many  to  justice,  as  stars  for  all  eternity.3'  As  we 
now  see  the  stars  shine  in  the  firmament,  so  the  priest 
who  converts  souls  to  God  shall  shine  among  the  blessed 
in  the  empyreal  heaven  with  a  brilliant  light  of  glory. 
If,  says  St.  Gregory,  he  that  rescues  a  man  from  temporal 
death  deserves  a  great  reward,  how  much  greater  shall 
be  the  recompense  of  a  priest  who  delivers  a  soul  from 
eternal  death,  and  brings  her  to  eternal  life ! '  And 
before  him  our  Saviour  said:  But  he  that  shall  do  and 
teach,  he  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.* 
How  great  shall  be  the  chastisement  in  hell  of  a  damned 

1  "  Tanto  celerius  quisque  a  suis  peccatis  absolvitur,  quanto,  per  ejus 
vitam  et  linguam,  aliorum  animae  solvuntur." 

2  "  Etiam    rogo   et   te,  germane  compar:   adjuva   illas   quae   mecum 
laboraverunt  in  Evangelic,  cum  Clemente  et  caeteris  adjutoribus  meis, 
quorum  nomina  sunt  in  Libro  vitae." — Phil,  iv.  3. 

3  "  Fulgebunt,  .   .   .  qui  ad  justitiam  erudiunt  multos,  quasi  stellae  in 
perpetuas  aeternitates." — Dan.  xii.  3. 

4  "  Si  magnae  mercedis  est  a  morte  eripere  carnem  quandoque  mori- 
turam,  quanti  est  meriti  a  morte  animam  liberare  sine  fine  victuram  !" — 
Mor.  \.  19,  c.  1 6. 

6  "Qui  autem  fecerit  et  docuerit,  hie  magnus  vocabitur  in  regno 
coelorum." — Matt.  v.  19. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  175 

priest  who  by  his  scandals  has  perverted  many  souls  ! 
On  the  other  hand,  will  not  God,  whose  liberality  in 
rewarding  virtue  surpasses  his  severity  in  punishing 
vice,  give  great  glory  in  heaven  to  the  good  priest  who 
by  his  labors  shall  have  gained  many  souls  ? 

St.  Paul  placed  the  hope  of  his  eternal  crown  in  the 
salvation  of  those  whom  he  had  converted  to  God,  and 
trusted  that  they  should  procure  for  him  a  great  recom 
pense  for  eternity:  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown 
of  glory  ?  Are  not  you  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  at  His  coming  ?  '  St.  Gregory  says  that  a  priest 
who  works  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  obtains  as  many 
crowns  as  he  gains  souls  to  God.2  We  read  in  the 
Canticles,  Come  from  Libanus,  My  spouse,  come  from  Liba- 
nus,  come:  thou  shalt  be  crowned?  Behold  the  promise  of 
the  Lord  to  him  who  is  employed  in  the  conversion  of  sin 
ners — the  souls  that  were  once  wild  beasts  and  monsters 
of  hell,  but  were  afterwards  converted  and  became  dear 
to  God,  shall  be  so  many  gems  adorning  the  crown  of 
the  priest  who  has  brought  them  back  to  the  path  of 
virtue.  A  priest  who  is  damned  does  not  go  to  hell 
alone,  and  the  priest  that  is  saved  is  certainly  not  saved 
alone.  When  St.  Philip  Neri  died  and  went  to  heaven, 
the  Lord  sent  to  meet  him  all  the  souls  that  he  had 
saved.  The  same  is  related  of  that  great  servant  of 
God,  Brother  Cherubim  of  Spoleto.  He  was  seen  enter 
ing  heaven  accompanied  by  many  thousands  of  souls 
that  had  been  saved  by  his  labors.  It  is  also  related  of 
the  Venerable  Father  Louis  la  Nuza,  that  he  was  seen  in 
heaven  sitting  on  a  lofty  throne,  at  the  foot  of  which 
were  seated  all  the  souls  that  he  had  converted. 

1  "  Quae  enim  nostra  spes,  aut  gaudium,  aut  corona  gloriae  ?     Nonne 
vos  ante  Dominum  nostrum  Jesum  Christum  estis  in  adventu  ejus  ?" — I 
77iess.  ii.  19. 

2  "  Tot  coronas  sibi  multiplicat,  quot  Deo  animas  lucrifacit." 

"  Veni  de  Libano,  sponsa  mea,  veni  de   Libano,  veni;  coronaberis 
.   .  .  de  cubilibus  leonum,  de  montibus  pardorum." — Cant,  iv.  8. 


1 76  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

The  poor  husbandman  suffers  toils  and  sweats  in  sow 
ing  and  cultivating  the  ground,  and  in  reaping  the  crop; 
but  all  his  labors  are  superabundantly  compensated  by 
the  joy  of  the  harvest.  Going,  they  went  and  wept,  casting 
their  seeds;  but  coming,  they  shall  come  with  joy  fulness,  carry 
ing  their  sheaves.1  It  is  true  that  in  the  work  of  bringing 
souls  to  God  many  pains  and  labors  are  endured;  but 
the  laborer  shall  be  recompensed  with  immense  super 
abundance  by  the  joy  that  he  shall  feel  in  presenting  to 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  valley  of  Josaphat  all  the  souls  he 
had  saved. 

Nor  should  the  priest  who  labors  without  success  to 
bring  souls  to  God  be  disheartened,  nor  turned  away 
from  so  noble  a  work.  Beloved  priest,  says  St.  Bernard, 
be  not  discouraged  by  your  want  of  success,  but  rest 
secure  of  the  reward  that  awaits  you.  God  does  not 
require  of  you  to  save  souls:  labor  for  their  salvation, 
and  he  will  reward  you,  not  in  proportion  to  your  suc 
cess,  but  according  to  the  toils  you  have  endured.2  St. 
Bonaventure  confirms  this  doctrine,  and  says  that  a 
priest  shall  not  merit  less  for  those  that  draw  little  or 
no  profit  from  his  labors,  than  from  the  souls  that  reap 
great  benefit  from  them.5  The  same  saint  adds,  that  the 
husbandman  who  cultivates  the  barren  and  rocky  soil 
merits  a  greater  reward  though  he  reaps  less  fruit.4  He 

"  Euntes  ibant  et  flebant,   mittentes  semina  sua;   venientes  autem 
venient  cum  exsultatione,  portantes  manipulos  suos." — Ps.  cxxv.  6. 

2  "  Noli  diffidere;  curam  exigeris,  non  curationem.     Denique  audisti* 
'Curam  illius  habe'  (Luke,  x.  35);  et  non:  Cura,  vel  Sana  ilium; — quia 
unusquisque    secundum   suum    laborem   accipiet   (i  Cor.  iii.  8),  et    non 
secundum    proventum;   reddet  Deus  mercedem  laborum  (Wisd.  x.  17) 
sanctorum  suorum." — De  Cons.  1.  4,  c.  2. 

3  "  Non  minus  meretur  in  illis  qui  deficiunt  vel  modicum  proficiunt, 
quam  in  his  qui  maxime  proficiunt;  non  enim  dixit  Apostolus  (i  Cor. 
iii.  8)  :    Unusquisque  propriam  mercedem  accipiet  secundum  suum  pro- 
fectum;  sed,  secundum  suum  laborem." 

4  "  In  terra  sterili  et  saxosa,  etsi  fructus  paucior,  sed  pretium  majus." 
— De  Sex  Alls  Ser.  c.  5. 


CHAP,  ix.i  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  \  77 

meant  to  say,  that  a  priest  who  endeavors,  though  with 
out  success,  to  bring  back  an  obstinate  sinner  to  God 
shall  have  a  greater  reward,  because  his  labor  is  greater. 

IV. 

The  End,  the  Means,  and  the  Labors  of  the  Priest  who  has 

Zeal. 

i.  THE  END  TO  BE  PROPOSED. 

If  we  wish  to  receive  from  God  the  reward  of  our 
labors  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  we  must  do  all  not 
through  human  respect,  nor  for  our  own  honor  or  tem 
poral  gain,  but  only  for  God  and  for  his  glory;  other 
wise,  instead  of  a  reward  we  shall  receive  punishment. 
Great  should  be  our  folly,  says  St.  Joseph  Calasanctius, 
were  we  to  seek  from  men  a  temporal  remuneration  for 
our  labors.  The  office  of  saving  souls,  says  St.  Bernard, 
is  in  itself  very  dangerous,  since  we  shall  have  once  to 
render  an  account  of  the  actions  of  others.1  And  St. 
Gregory  writes:  "The  priest  possesses  as  many  souls  as 
he  is  instructing  subjects."''  With  the  divine  aid  we 
shall  be  able  to  avoid  sin  and  merit  a  reward  in  the  work 
of  saving  others;  but  he  who  performs  this  work  for  any 
other  end  than  to  please  God,  shall  be  abandoned  by 
God;  and  without  the  divine  assistance,  how  shall  he  be 
able  to  avoid  sin  ?  And  how,  says  St.  Bonaventure,  shall 
they  avoid  sin  who  "  receive  holy  Orders,  seeking  not 
the  salvation  of  souls,  but  temporal  gain,"  3  or  whose 
motive,  as  St.  Prosper  says,  is  not  to  become  better,  but 

1  "  Maximum  periculum  de  factis  alterius  rationem  reddere." — In  Heb. 
c.  13,  lect.  3. 

2"Quot  regendis  subditis  praeest,  reddendae  apud  eum  (Christum 
Judicem)  rationis  tempore,  ut  itadicam,  tot  solus  animas  habet. " — Mor. 
1.  24,  c.  30. 

3  "  Ad  sacros  Ordines  accedunt,  non  salutem  animarum,  sed  quaestum 
pecuniarum  qu?srentes." — De  Pra-p.  ad  M.  c.  8. 

12 


1 78  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

richer:  not  more  holy,  but  more  honored  ?'  When,  says 
Peter  de  Blois,  there  is  question  of  obtaining  a  benefice, 
do  persons  ask  how  many  souls  may  be  gained,  or  do 
they  not  inquire  rather  about  the  amount  of  its  reve 
nues?2  Many,  says  the  Apostle,  seek  the  things  that  are 
their  own,  not  the  things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's?  O  execrable 
abuse,  says  Father  John  d'Avila,  to  make  heaven  sub 
ordinate  to  earth  !  St.  Bernard  observes  that  when  our 
Lord  intrusted  his  sheep  to  St.  Peter  he  said:  "Feed 
my  sheep;  do  not  milk  nor  shear  them."'  The  author 
of  the  Imperfect  Work  says  :  "  We  have  been  hired  as 
day-laborers;  and  just  as  no  one  hires  a  day-laborer  only 
for  the  purpose  of  eating,  so  Jesus  Christ  has  not  called 
us  to  labor  only  for  our  own  profit,  but  for  God's  glory."  5 
Hence  St.  Gregory  says  of  priests,  "  Priests  should  not 
rejoice  that  they  precede  others  but  that  they  can  be 
useful  to  them."6 

The  glory  of  God,  then,  must  be  the  sole  end  of  the 
priest  who  labors  for  souls. 

2.  MEANS  TO  BE  EMPLOYED. 

With  regard  to  the  means  that  a  priest  should  adopt 
in  order  to  gain  souls  to  the  Lord: 

I.  The  priest  must  above  all  attend  to  the  perfection 
of  his  own  soul.  The  sanctity  of  the  priest  is  the  prin- 

1  "  Non  ut  meliores,  sed  ut  ditiores;  nee  ut  sanctiores,  sed  ut  honora- 
tiores  sint?" — De  Vita  cont.  1.  i,  c.  21. 

2  "  Hodie,  in  promotione  quorumdam,  prima  quaestio  est.  quae  sit 
summa  reddituum,  non  quae  sit  conversatio  subjectorum." — Epist.  15. 

3  "  Quae  suasunt,  quaerunt,  non  quae  sunt  Jesu  Christi." — Phil.  ii.  21. 

4  "  '  Pasce  oves  meas;'  nee  Mulge,  sen  Tonde." — Dcclam.  n.  12. 

5  "  Mercenarii  sumus  conduct!;  sicut  ergo  nemo  conducit  mercena- 
rium  ut  solum  manducet,  sic  et  nos,  non  ideo  vocati  sumus  a  Christo 
ut  solum  operemur  quae  ad  nostrum  pertinent  usum,  sed  ad  gloriam 
Dei." — Horn.  34. 

6  "Nee  praeesse  se  hominibus  gaudeant,  sed  prodesse." — Past.  p.  2, 
c.  6. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  1 79 

cipal  means  of  converting  sinners.  St.  Eucherius  says 
that  priests  by  the  power  of  their  sanctity  sustain  the 
world.1  The  priest,  as  mediator,  is  charged  with  the 
office  of  making  peace  between  God  and  men,  says  St. 
Thomas.2  But  he  who  is  a  mediator  must  not  be  hate 
ful  to  the  person  before  whom  he  has  to  intercede; 
otherwise,  he  will  increase  his  wrath,  says  St.  Gregory.3 
Hence  the  saint  adds,  "  Pure  must  be  the  hand  of  the  one 
that  wishes  to  cleanse  others  of  their  stains."4  Hence 
St.  Bernard  concludes  that  a  priest,  in  order  to  be  fit  to 
convert  sinners,  must  first  purify  his  own  conscience  and 
afterwards  the  conscience  of  others.5  St.  Philip  Neri 
used  to  say,  give  me  ten  zealous  priests  and  I  will  con 
vert  the  whole  world.  What  did  not  a  solitary  St. 
Francis  Xavier  do  in  the  East  ?  It  is  related  that  he 
alone  converted  ten  millions  of  pagans  to  the  faith. 
What  did  not  a  St.  Patrick,  a  St.  Vincent  Ferrer,  do  in 
Europe  ?  A  single  priest  of  moderate  learning,  who 
loves  God  ardently,  will  convert  more  souls  to  God  than 
a  hundred  priests  of  great  learning  and  little  zeal. 

II.  He  who  wishes  to  reap  an  abundant  harvest  of 
souls  must  devote  a  good  deal  of  time  to  mental  prayer. 
In  prayer  he  must  first  receive  from  God  sentiments  of 
piety,  and  afterwards  communicate  them  to  others: 
That  which  you  hear  in  the  ear,  preach  ye  upon  the  house 
tops?  It  is  necessary,  says  St.  Bernard,  to  be  first  a 

1  "  Hi  onus  totius  orbis  portant  humeris  sanctitatis." — Horn,  de  Dedic. 
ecd. 

'2  "  Ad  mediatoris  officium  proprie  pertinet  conjungere  eos  interquos 
est  mediator." — P.  3,  q.  26,  a.  I. 

3  "Cum  is  qui  displicet,  ad  intercedendum  mittitur,  irati  animus  ad 
deteriora  provocatur." — Past.  p.  i.e.  n. 

4  "  Necesse  est  ut  esse  munda  studeat  manus,  quae  diluere  aliorum 
sordes  curat." — Past.  p.  2,  c.  2. 

5  "  Rectus   ordo  postulat  ut  prius  propriam,  deinde  alienas  curare 
studeas  conscientias." — Epist.  8. 

6  "  Quod  in  aure  auditis,  predicate  super  tecta." — Matt.  x.  27. 


1 80  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

reservoir  and  then  a  canal.1     The  saints  have  converted 
more  souls  by  their  prayers  than  by  their  labors. 

3.  WORKS  OF  A  ZEALOUS  PRIEST. 

The  works  in  which  a  zealous  priest  should  be  em 
ployed  are: 

I.  The  correction  of  sinners.  Priests  who  see  insults 
offered  to  God  and  remain  silent  are  called  by  Isaias 
mute  dogs?  But  to  these  mute  dogs  shall  be  imputed  all 
the  sins  that  they  could  have  but  have  not  prevented. 
"Do  not  be  silent,"  says  Alcuin,  "lest  the  sins  of  the 
people  be  ascribed  to  you."  :  Some  priests  abstain  from 
reproving  sinners  because  they  do  not  wish  to  disturb 
their  peace  of  mind;  but,  says  St.  Gregory,  for  this 
peace  that  they  desire,  they  shall  miserably  lose  peace 
with  God.4  An  animal  falls,  exclaims  St.  Bernard,  and 
many  are  found  to  lift  it;  a  souls  falls,  and  no  one  is 
found  to  raise  her  up.5  Yes,  sinners  are  not  converted, 
although,  according  to  St.  Gregory,  priests  are  specially 
appointed  by  God  to  point  out  the  path  of  virtue  to 
those  who  go  astray/'  Hence  St.  Leo  adds:  "  The  priest 
who  does  not  withdraw  another  from  error  proves  that 
he  is  himself  involved  in  it."7  St.  Gregory  writes  that 
we  kill  as  many  souls  as  we  see  committing  sin  without 
endeavoring  to  apply  a  remedy.8 

1  "  Concham  te  exhibebis,  non  canalem.     Canales  hodie  in  Ecclesia 
multos  habemus,  conchas  vero  perpaucas." — In  Cant.  s.  18. 

2  "  Canes  muti,  non  valentes  latrare." — Is.  Ivi.  10. 

3  "  Nolite  tacere,  ne  populi  peccata  vobis  imputentur." — Epist.  28. 

4  "  Dum  pacem  desiderant,  pravos  mores  nequaquam  redarguunt;  et 
consentiendo  perversis,  ab  Auctoris  sui  se  pace  disjungunt." — Past.  p. 
3,  c.  i,  adm.  23. 

5  "  Cadit  asina,  et  est  qui  sublevet  earn;    perit  anima,  et  nemo  est 
qui  reputet."—  De  Cons.  1.  4,  c.  6. 

6  "  Eligitur  viam  erranti  demonstrate." — Epist.  1.  7,  ind.  2,  ep.  no. 
"  Sacerdos  qui  alium  ab  errore  non  revocat,  seipsum  errare  demon- 

strat." — Ep.  ad  Tttrrib.  c.  15, 

8  ' '  Nos  qui  Sacerdotes  vocamur,  tot  occidimus,  quot  ad  mortem  ire 
quotidie  tepide  videmus. " — In  Ezech.  horn.  n. 


CHAP,  ix.]  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  181 

II.  A  zealous  priest  ought  to  be  employed  in  preach 
ing.     By  preaching,  the  world  has  been,  as  the  Apostle 
says,    converted    to    the    faith    of    Jesus    Christ:    Faith 
cometh  by  hearing;  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  Christ.1  And 
by  preaching,  the   faith  and   the   fear  of  God   are  pre 
served   in  the  hearts   of  the  faithful.     Priests  who  feel 
themselves  unable  to  preach   should  at  least   endeavor 
as  often  as  possible,  in  their  conversation  with  friends  or 
relatives,  to  edify  by  words  of  edification,  by   relating 
examples   of  virtues   practised   by  the   saints,  by  incul 
cating  some  maxim  of  eternity,  by  impressing  on  them 
the  vanity  of  the  world,  the  importance  of  salvation,  the 
certainty  of  death,  the  peace  enjoyed  by  those  who  are 
in  the  grace  of  God,  or  some  similar  truths. 

III.  The   priest  should   be  occupied  in   assisting  the 
dying,  which  is  a  work  of  charity  most  dear  to  God,  and 
most  conducive  to  the  salvation  of  souls;  for  the  dying 
are  more  strongly  tempted  by  the  devils,  and  are   less 
able  to  assist  themselves.     St.   Philip    Neri    frequently 
saw  angels  suggesting  words  to  priests  who  were  attend 
ing  dying  persons.     For  parish  priests  this  work  is  an 
obligation  of  justice,  but  for  every  priest  it  is  a  duty  of 
charity.     It  may  be  performed  with  advantage  by  every 
priest,  even  by  those  who  have  not  talent  for  preaching. 
In  attending  the  sick,  a  priest  may  be  of  great  service  to 
their  friends  and  relatives.     That  is  the  fittest  time  for 
spiritual  discourses.     On  such  an  occasion  it  is  even  un 
becoming  in  a  priest  to  speak  of  anything  but  of  God 
and  of  spiritual  things.     But  let  it  be  remembered  that 
he  who  performs  this  office  must  use  great  caution,  that 
he  may  not  be  an  occasion  of  ruin  to  himself  or  others. 
Moreover,  he  who  cannot  preach  should  at  least  labor 
in  teaching  the  Christian  doctrine  to  the  children  and 
the  poor,  many  of  whom  in  the  rural  districts,  in  conse- 

1  "  Fides  ex auditu;  auditus  autem  per  verbum  Christi." — Rom.yi.  17. 


1 82  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

quence  of  not  being  able  to  go  often  to  the  church,  live 
in  ignorance  of  even  the  principal  mysteries  of  faith. 

IV.  Lastly,  it  is  necessary  to  be  persuaded  that  the 
work  which  is  most  conducive  to  the  salvation  of  souls 
is  the  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  penance.  The 
Venerable  Louis  Fiorillo,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic, 
used  to  say^  that  by  preaching  the  priest  casts  out  the 
net,  but  by  hearing  confessions  he  draws  it  ashore  and 
takes  the  fish.  But  some  may  say  this  is  a  very  perilous 
office.  There  is  no  doubt,  dearly  beloved  priest,  says 
St.  Bernard,  that  to  become  the  judge  of  consciences 
is  attended  with  much  danger;  but  you  shall  fall  into 
greater  danger  if  through  sloth  or  excessive  fear  you 
neglect  to  fulfil  this  office  when  God  calls  you  to  it. 
"Woe  to  you,"  says  the  same  saint,  "if  you  are  a  Supe 
rior!  But  a  greater  woe  to  you  if  through  fear  of  com 
manding  you  shrink  from  doing  good." J  We  have 
already  spoken  2  of  the  obligation  of  every  priest  to  em 
ploy  the  talent  that  God  has  given  him  that  he  may  save 
souls;  and  we  have  already  said  that  at  his  ordination  a 
priest  is  destined  in  a  special  manner  for  the  administra 
tion  of  the  sacrament  of  penance.  But  you  may  say 
that  you  are  not  qualified  for  this  office,  because  you 
have  not  studied  theology.  But  do  you  not  know  that  a 
priest  is  bound  to  study  ?  The  lips  of  the  priest  shall  keep 
knowledge,  and  they  shall  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth?  If  you 
did  not  intend  to  study  in  order  to  be  able  to  assist  your 
neighbor,  why  did  you  become  a  priest?  Who,  says  the 
Lord,  asked  you  to  take  holy  Orders  ?  Who  required 
these  things  at  your  hands  that  you  should  walk  in  My  courts  ? 4 

1  "  Vae  tibi,  si  praees;  sed  vae  gravius,  si,  quia  praeesse  metuis,  pro- 
desse  refugis!" — Epist,  86. 

2  Page  158. 

3  "  Labia  enim  Sacerdotis  custodient  scientiam,  et  legem  requirent  ex 
ore  ejus." — Mai.  ii.  7. 

4  "  Quis  quassivit  haec  de  manibus  vestris,  ut  ambularetis  in  atriis 
meis?" — Is.  i.  12. 


CHAP,  ix.j  The  Zeal  of  the  Priest.  183 

Who,  asks  St.  John  Chrysostom,  has  forced  you  to  be 
come  a  priest  ? '  Before  your  ofdination,  adds  the  saint, 
you  ought  to  have  examined  your  fitness  for  this  duty; 
but  now  that  you  are  a  priest  you  must  work  and  not 
examine;  and  if  you  are  not  fit  for  the  work,  you  must 
qualify  yourself  for  it.2  To  excuse  yourself  now  on  the 
ground  of  ignorance,  continues  the  holy  Doctor,  is  to 
excuse  one  sin  by  another.3  Some  priests  read  many 
useless  books,  and  neglect  to  study  the  science  that  may 
enable  them  to  save  souls.  St.  Prosper  says  that  such 
priests  violate  justice.4 

In  fine,  it  is  necessary  to  be  persuaded  that  the  priest 
should  seek  nothing  but  the  glory  of  God  and  salvation 
of  souls.  Hence  St.  Sylvester  ordained  that  with  regard 
to  ecclesiastics  the  days  of  the  week  should  be  called  by 
no  other  name  than  that  of  Fcrice,  or  vacant  days.5  The 
Gentiles  themselves  used  to  say  that  priests  should 
attend  only  to  the  things  of  God,  and  therefore  they 
forbade  their  priests  to  exercise  the  office  of  magistrates, 
that  they  might  be  entirely  devoted  to  the  worship  of 
their  gods.  After  he  had  been  appointed  by  God  to 
promote  his  honor,  and  the  observance  of  his  law,  Moses 
spent  a  good  deal  of  his  time  in  settling  disputes. 
Jethro  justly  reproved  him,  saying:  Thou  art  spent  with 
foolish  labor.  .  .  .  Be  thou  to  the  people  in  those  things  that 

1  "  Quisnam  ad  id  te  coegit?" — De  Sacerd.  1.  4. 

2  "  Tempus  nunc  agendi,  non  consultandi. " 

3  "  Neque  licet  ad  ignorantiam  confugere,  quandoquidem  qui  dele- 
gatus  est  ut  aliorum  emendet  ignorantiam,  is  ignorantiam  praetendere 
minime  poterit;  hoc  nomine  supplicium  nulla  excusatione   poterit  de- 
pellere,  quamvis  unius  dumtaxat  animae  jactura  accident." — De  Sacerd. 
1.  6. 

4  "  Contra  justitiam  faciunt,  qui  otiosum  studium  fructuosae  utilitati 
regendae  multitudinis  anteponunt." — De  Vita  cont.  1.  3,  c.  28. 

5  "Quotldie  clericos,  abjecta  caeterarum  rerum  cura,  uni  Deo  prorsus 
vacare  debere." — Breviar.  31  Dec. 


1 84  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i 

pertain  to  God.1  Before  you  were  ordained  priest,  says 
St.  Athanasius,  you  might  devote  yourself  to  any  occu 
pation  you  wished,  but  now  that  you  are  a  priest,  you 
must  be  employed  in  the  fulfilment  of  the  office  for 
which  you  are  destined.2  And  what  is  the  nature  of 
this  office  ?  One  of  its  principal  duties  is,  as  we  have 
shown,  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  This  doc 
trine  is  confirmed  by  St.  Prosper,  who  says:  "  To  priests 
properly  belong  the  care  of  saving  souls."  : 

1  "  Stulto   labore   consumeris.   .   .   .    Esto   tu   populo  in  his  quae  ad 
Deum  pertinent." — Exod.  xviii.  18. 

2  "  Id  scire   oportet,  te,  priusquam  ordinabaris,  tibi  vixisse;  ordina- 
tum  autem,  illis  quibus  ordinatus  est." — Ep.  ad  Dracont. 

3  "  Sacerdotibus  proprie  animarum  curandarum  sollicitudo  commissa 
est." — De  Vita  cont.  1.  2.,  c.  2. 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          185 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    VOCATION    TO    THE    PRIESTHOOD. 
I. 

Necessity  of  a  Divine  Vocation  to  take  Holy  Orders. 

To  enter  any  state  of  life,  a  divine  vocation  is  neces 
sary;  for  without  such  a  vocation  it  is,  if  not  impossible, 
at  least  most  difficult  to  fulfil  the  obligations  of  our  state, 
and  obtain  salvation.  But  if  for  all  states  a  vocation  is 
necessary,  it  is  necessary  in  a  particular  manner  for  the 
ecclesiastical  state.  He  that  entercth  not  by  the  door  into  the 
sheep/old,  but  climbeth  up  another  way,  the  same  is  a  thief  and 
a  robber.1  Hence  he  who  takes  holy  orders  without  a 
call  from  God  is  convicted  of  theft,  in  taking  by  force 
a  dignity  which  God  does  not  wish  to  bestow  upon  him.2 
And  before  him  St.  Paul  said  the  same  thing:  Neither 
doth  any  man  take  the  honor  to  him  self,  but  he  that  is  called  by 
God,  as  Aaron  was.  So  Christ  also  did  not  glorify  Himself 
that  He  might  be  made  a  high  priest ;  but  he  that  said  unto 
Him  :  Thou  art  My  Son  ;  this  day  I  have  begotten  Thee? 

No  one,  then,  however  learned,  prudent,  and  holy  he 
may  be,  can  thrust  himself  into  the  sanctuary  unless  he  is 
first  called  and  introduced  by  God.  Jesus  Christ  him 
self,  who  among  all  men  was  certainly  the  most  learned 

"  Qui  non  intrat  per  ostium  in  ovile  ovium,  sed  ascendit  aliunde, 
ille  fur  est  et  latro."— John,  x.  i. 

"  Latrones  et  fures  appellat  eos  qui  se  ultro,  ad  non  sibi  datam 
desuper  gratiam,  obtrudunt." — In  Jo.  x.  10. 

"Nee  quisquam  sumit  sibi  honorem,  sed  qui  vocatur  a  Deo  tam- 
quam  Aaron.  Sic  et  Christus  non  semetipsum  clarificavit  ut  pontifex 
fieret;  sed  qui  locutus  est  ad  eum.  Filius  meus  es  tu." — Heb.  v.  4,  5. 


1 86  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

and  the  most  holy,  full  of  grace  and  truth,1  in  whom  are 
hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge? — Jesus 
Christ,  I  say,  required  a  divine  call  in  order  to  assume 
the  dignity  of  the  priesthood. 

In  entering  the  sanctuary,  even  after  God  himself  had 
called  them  to  it,  the  saints  trembled.  When  his  bishop 
ordered  St.  Augustine  to  receive  ordination,  the  saint 
through  humility  regarded  the  command  as  a  chastise 
ment  of  his  sins.3  To  escape  the  priesthood  St.  Ephrem 
of  Syria  feigned  madness;  and  St.  Ambrose  pretended 
to  be  a  man  of  a  cruel  disposition. 

To  avoid  the  priesthood,  St.  Ammonius  the  Monk  cut 
off  his  ears,  and  threatened  to  pluck  out  his  tongue,  if 
the  persons  who  pressed  him  to  take  holy  orders  should 
continue  to  molest  him.  In  a  word,  St.  Cyril  of  Alexan 
dria  says,  "  The  saints  have  dreaded  the  dignity  of  the 
priesthood  as  a  burden  of  enormous  weight.'"  Can 
any  one,  then,  says  St.  Cyprian,  be  so  daring  as  to  at 
tempt  of  himself,  and  without  a  divine  call,  to  assume 
the  priesthood  ? 5 

As  a  vassal  who  would  of  himself  take  the  office  of 
minister  should  violate  the  authority  of  his  sovereign, 
so  he  who  intrudes  himself  into  the  sanctuary  without  a 
vocation  violates  the  authority  of  God.  How  great 
should  be  the  temerity  of  the  subject  who,  without  the 
appointment,  and  even  in  opposition  to  the  will  of  the 
monarch,  should  attempt  to  administer  the  royal  patri 
mony,  to  decide  lawsuits,  to  command  the  army,  and  to 
assume  the  viceregal  authority  !  "  Among  you,"  asks 

1  "Plenum  gratiae  et  veritatis."— -John,  \.  14. 

2  "  In  quo  sunt  omnes  thesauri  sapientise  et  scientiae  absconditi." — 
Col.  ii.  3. 

3  "  Vis  mihi  facta  est  merito  peccatorum  meorum." — Epist.  21,  E.  B. 

4  "Omnes  sanctos  reperio  divini   ministerii   ingentem  veluti  molem 
formidantes." — De  Fest.  pasch.  horn.  I. 

5  "  Ita  est  aliquis  sacrilegae  temeritatis,  ac  perditse  mentis,  ut  putet 
sine  Dei  judicio  fieri  sacerdotem?" — Epist.  55.. 


CHAP,  x.j      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          187 

St.  Bernard  in  speaking  to  clerics,  "  is  there  any  one  so 
insolent  as,  without  orders  and  contrary  to  the  will  of 
the  pettiest  monarch,  to  assume  the  direction  of  his 
affairs?"1  And  are  not  priests,  as  St.  Prosper  says,  the 
administrators  of  the  royal  house  ? 2  Are  they  not,  accord 
ing  to  St.  Ambrose,  the  "  leaders  and  rectors  of  the  flock 
of  Christ"?'  according  to  St.  Chrysostom,  the  "inter 
preters  of  the  divine  judgments,"4  and  according  to  St. 
Denis,  the  "  vicars  of  Christ  "? 5  Will  any  one  who  knows 
all  this  dare  to  become  the  minister  of  God  without  a 
divine  call  ? 

To  think  of  exercising  royal  authority  is,  according  to 
St.  Peter  Chrysologus,  criminal  in  a  subject.6  To  in 
trude  into  the  house  of  a  private  individual,  in  order  to 
dispose  of  his  goods  and  to  manage  his  business,  would 
be  considered  temerity;  for  even  a  private  individual  has 
the  right  of  appointing  the  administrators  of  his  affairs. 
And  will  you,  says  St.  Bernard,  without  being  called  or 
introduced  by  God,  intrude  into  his  house  to  take  charge 
of  his  interests  and  to  dispose  of  his  goods?7 

The  Council  of  Trent  has  declared  that  the  Church 
regards  not  as  her  minister,  but  as  a  robber,  the  man 
who  audaciously  assumes  the  priesthood  without  a  voca 
tion.4  Such  priests  may  labor  and  toil,  but  their  labors 

"  Auderetne  aliquis  vestmm  terreni  cujuslibet  reguii,  non  praeci 
piente  aut  etiam  prohibente  eo,  occupare  ministeria,  negotia  dispen- 
sare  ?" — De  Conv.  adder,  c.  19. 

8  "  Dispensatores  regiae  domus." — De  Vita  cont.  1.  2,  c.  2. 

3  "  Duces  et  rectores  gregis  Christi." — De  Dign.  sac.  c.  2. 

4  "  Interpretes  divinorum  judiciorum." 
6  "  Vicar ii  Christi." — Horn.  17. 

6  "  Regnum  velle  servum,  crimen  est." — Serm.  23. 

'"Quid  istud  temeritatis,  imo  quid  insaniffi  est?  tu  irreverenter 
irruis,  nee  vocatus,  nee  introductus."— De  Vita  cler.  c.  5. 

"  Decernit  sancta  Synodus  eos  qui  ea  (ministeria)  propria  temeri^ 
tate  sibi  sumunt,  omnes,  non  Ecclesiae  ministros,  sed  fures  et  latrones 
per  ostium  non  ingressos  habendos  esse." — Sess.  23,  cap.  4. 


1 88  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

shall  profit  them  little  before  God.  On  the  contrary, 
the  works  that  are  meritorious  in  others  shall  deserve 
chastisement  for  them.  Should  a  servant  who  is  com 
manded  by  his  master  to  take  care  of  the  house,  through 
his  own  caprice  labor  in  cultivating  the  vineyard,  he 
may  toil  and  sweat,  but  instead  of  being  rewarded  he 
shall  be  chastised  by  his  master.  Thus,  in  the  first 
place,  because  they  are  not  conformable  to  the  divine 
will,  the  Lord  shall  not  accept  the  toils  of  the  man  who, 
without  a  vocation,  intrudes  himself  into  the  priest 
hood.  I  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
and  I  will  not  receive  a  gift  of  your  hand.1  Intheend  God 
will  not  reward,  but  will  punish  the  works  of  the  priest 
who  has  entered  the  sanctuary  without  a  vocation. 
What  stranger  soever  cometh  to  it  (the  tabernacle]  shall  be 
slain."1 

Whosoever,  then,  aspires  to  holy  Orders  must,  in  the 
first  place,  carefully  examine  whether  his  vocation  is 
from  God.  "  For,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "since 
this  dignity  is  great,  it  must  be  approved  by  a  divine 
sentence,  so  that  only  the  one  that  is  worthy  may  be  ad 
mitted  thereto."  :  Now  to  know  whether  his  call  is  from 
God,  he  should  examine  the  marks  of  a  divine  vocation. 
He,  says  St.  Luke,  who  wishes  to  build  a  tower  first 
computes  the  necessary  expenses,  in  order  to  know  if  he 
has  the  means  of  completing  the  edifice.4 

4  "  Non  est  mihi  voluntas  in  vobis,  dicit  Dominus  exercituum,  et 
munus  non  suscipiam  de  manu  vestra." — Mai.  i.  10. 

2  "  Quisquis  externorum  accesserit  (ad  tabernaculum)  occidetur." — 
Num.  i.  51. 

3  "  Quoniam  dignitas  magna  est,  et  revera  divina  sententia  compro- 
banda. " — In  I  Tim.  horn.  5. 

4  "  Quis  enim   ex  vobis,  volens  turrim  sedificare,  non  prius  sedens 
computat  sumptus  qui  necessarii  sunt,  si  habeat  ad  perficiendum  ?"- 
Luke,  xiv.  28. 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          189 

IL 
Marks  of  a  Divine  Vocation  to  the  Sacerdotal  State, 

Let  us  now  see  what  are  the  marks  of  a  divine  voca 
tion  to  the  sacerdotal  state. 

Nobility  is  not  a  mark  of  a  divine  vocation.  To  know, 
says  St.  Jerome,  whether  a  person  should  become  the 
guide  of  the  people  in  what  regards  their  eternal  salva 
tion,  we  must  consider  not  nobility  of  blood,  but  sanctity 
of  life.1  St.  Gregory  says  the  same:  "  By  one's  con 
duct,  not  by  one's  high  birth,  is  one's  vocation  to  be 
proved."  2 

Nor  is  the  will  of  parents  a  mark  of  a  divine  vo 
cation.  In  inducing  a  child  to  take  priesthood  they 
seek  not  his  spiritual  welfare,  but  their  own  interest, 
and  the  advancement  of  the  family.  "  How  many 
mothers,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  or  the  author  of 
the  Imperfect  Work,  "  have  eyes  only  for  the  bodies  of 
their  children  and  disdain  their  souls!  To  see  them 
happy  here  below  is  all  that  they  desire;  as  for  the 
punishments  that  perhaps  their  children  are  to  en 
dure  in  the  next  life,  they  do  not  even  think  of 
them.";  We  must  be  persuaded,  as  Jesus  Christ  has 
said,  that  with  regard  to  the  choice  of  a  state  of  life  we 
have  no  enemies  more  dangerous  than  our  own  rela 
tives.  And  a  mans  enemies  shall  be  they  of  his  own  house 
hold."  Hence  the  Redeemer  adds:  He  that  loveth  fathei 

"  Principatum  in  populos,  non  sanguini  deferendum,  sed  vitae." — 
In  Tit.  i. 

2  "Quos  dignos  divina  probet  electio,  secundum  vitae,  non  generis 
meritum." 

3  "  Matres  corpora  natorum  amant,  animas  contemnunt;  desiderant 
illos  valere  in  saeculo  isto,  et  non  curant  quid  sint  passuri  in  alio." — 
Horn.  35. 

4  "  Et  mimici  hominis,  domesiici  ejus." — Matt.  x.  36. 


Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

or  mother  more  than  Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me*  Oh!  how 
many  priests  shall  we  see  condemned  on  the  day  of 
judgment  for  having  taken  holy  Orders  to  please  their 
relatives. 

When  a  young  man,  in  obedience  to  the  call  of  God, 
wishes  to  become  a  religious,  what  efforts  do  not  his 
parents  make,  either  through  passion  or  for  the  interest 
of  the  family,  to  dissuade  him  from  following  his  voca 
tion  !  It  is  necessary  to  know  that,  according  to  the 
common  opinion  of  theologians,  this  cannot  be  excused 
from  mortal  sin.  See  what  I  have  written  on  this  sub 
ject  in  my  Moral  Theology.  Parents  who  act  in  this 
manner  are  guilty  of  a  double  sin.  They  sin  first 
against  charity,  because  they  are  the  cause  of  a  grievous 
evil  to  the  child  whom  God  has  called  to  religion.  A 
person  who  dissuades  even  a  stranger  from  following  a 
religious  vocation  is  guilty  of  a  grievous  sin.  They  sin, 
secondly,  against  piety;  for  by  their  obligation  to  edu 
cate  a  child  they  are  bound  to  promote  his  greater 
spiritual  welfare.  Some  ignorant  confessors  tell  their 
penitents  who  wish  to  become  religious,  that  in  this  they 
should  obey  their  parents,  and  abandon  their  vocation 
if  their  parents  object  to  their  entering  religion.  These 
confessors  adopt  the  opinion  of  Luther,  who  taught  that 
a  person  sins  by  entering  religion  without  the  consent 
of  his  parents.  But  the  doctrine  of  Luther  was  rejected 
by  the  holy  Fathers,  and  by  the  Tenth  Council  of 
Toledo,  in  which  it  was  decreed  that  children  who  had 
attained  their  fourteenth  year  may  lawfully  enter  re 
ligion  even  against  the  will  of  their  parents.  A  child  is 
bound  to  obey  his  parents  in  what  regards  his  education 
and  the  government  of  the  house;  but  with  regard  to 
the  choice  of  a  state  of  life,  he  should  obey  God  by 
embracing  the  state  to  which  God  calls  him.  When 

1  "Qui  amat  patrem  aut  matrcm  plus  quam  me,  non  est  me  dignus." 
— Matt.  x.  37. 


CHAP,  x.i      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          191 

parents  seek  to  be  obeyed  in  this  matter  we  must  answer 
them  in  the  words  of  the  apostles  to  the  princes  of  the 
Jews:  If  it  be  just  in  the  sight  of  God  to  hear  you  rather 
than  God)  judge  ye.1 

St.  Thomas  expressly  teaches  that  in  the  ohoice  of 
a  state  of  life  children  are  not  obliged  to  obey  their 
parents.  And  the  saint  says  that  when  there  is  question 
of  a  vocation  to  religion,  a  person  is  not  bound  even  to 
consult  his  relatives;  for  on  such  occasions  self-interest 
changes  relatives  into  enemies.2  Parents  are,  as  St. 
Bernard  says,  content  to  see  their  children  damned  with 
them,  rather  than  see  them  saved  by  entering  religion 
and  separating  from  the  family.3  But  when  a  person 
wishes  to  enter  the  sacerdotal  state,  in  which  he  may  be 
able  to  serve  the  family,  what  efforts  do  not  his  parents 
make  to  procure  his  ordination,  either  by  lawful  or  un 
lawful  means,  whether  he  is  called  or  not  called  to  the 
priesthood  !  And  with  what  severity  do  they  not  treat 
him  if,  through  remorse  of  conscience,  he  refuse  to  take 
holy  orders  !  Barbarous  fathers!  Let  us,  with  St.  Ber 
nard,  call  them  not  parents,  but  murderers!4  Unhappy 
fathers!  miserable  children!  I  say  again.  How  many 
shall  we  see  condemned  in  the  valley  of  Josaphat  for 
having  interfered  with  the  vocation  of  others,  or  for 
not  having  attended  to  their  own!  For,  as  we  shall 
hereafter  demonstrate,  the  salvation  of  each  individual 
depends  on  following  the  divine  call. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  subject.  Neither  nobility  of 
birth  nor  the  will  of  parents  are  marks  of  a  vocation  to 

"Si  justum  est,  in  conspectu  Dei,  vos  potius  audire  quam  Deum, 
judicate." — Acts,  iv.  19. 

"  Propinqui  autem  carnis,  in  hoc  proposito.amici  nonsunt,  sed  potius 
inimici,  juxta  sententiam  Domini:  '  Inimici  hominis,  domestic!  ejus. '  " 
— Contra  retr.  a.  reL  c.  9. 

"  O  durum  pattern,  o  saevam  matrem,  quorum  consolatio  mors  filii 
est;  qui  me  malunt  perirecum  eis,  quam  regnare  sine  eis!" — Epist.  in. 
4  "  Non  parentes,  sed  peremptores." 


192  Material  for  Sermons.  IPART  i. 

the  priesthood;  nor  is  talent  or  fitness  for  the  offices  of 
a  priest  a  sign  of  vocation,  for  along  with  talent  a  holy 
life  and  a  divine  call  are  necessary. 

What,  then,  are  the  marks  of  a  divine  vocation  to  the 
ecclesiastical  state?  There  are  three  principal  marks: 

i.  PURITY  OF  INTENTION. 

The  first  is  a  good  intention.  It  is  necessary  to  enter 
the  sanctuary  by  the  door,  but  there  is  no  other  door 
than  Jesus  Christ:  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.  .  .  .  If  any 
man  enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved.1  To  enter,  then,  by  the 
door  is  to  become  a  priest  not  to  please  relatives,  nor  to 
advance  the  family,  nor  for  the  sake  of  self-interest  or 
self-esteem,  but  to  serve  God,  to  propagate  his  glory, 
and  to  save  souls.  "  If  any  one,"  says  a  wise  theo 
logian,  the  learned  continuator  of  Tournely,  "  presents 
himself  for  holy  Orders  without  any  vicious  affection, 
and  with  the  sole  desire  to  be  employed  in  the  service  of 
God  and  in  the  salvation  of  his  neighbor,  he,  we  may 
believe,  is  called  by  God."'J  Another  author  asserts 
that  he  who  is  impelled  by  ambition,  interest,  or  a  motive 
of  his  own  glory,  is  called  not  by  God,  but  by  the  devil.3 
"But,"  adds  St.  Anselm,  "he  who  enters  the  priesthood 
through  so  unworthy  motives  shall  receive  not  a  blessing 
but  a  malediction  from  God.4 

1  "  Ego  sum  ostium  ovium.   .  .  .   Per  me  si  quis  introierit,  salvabi- 
tur. " — John,  x.  7. 

2  "  Si  enim  aliquis,  liber  ab  omni  vitioso  affectu,   ad  clerum,  Deo 
deserviendi  causa  et   salutis  populi  gratia  solum,  se  conferat,  vocari  a 
Deo  praesumitur." — De  Ord.  q.  4,  a.  4. 

s"Ambiv'one  duceris,  vel  avaritia?  inhias  honori?  Non  te  vocat 
Deus,  sed  diabolus  tentat." — Hall,  p  i,  s.  3,  c.  2,  §  4. 

4  "  Qui  enim  se  ingerit  et  propriam  gloriam  quaerit,  gratioe  Dei 
rapinam  facit;  et  ideo  non  accipit  benedictionem,  sed  maledictionem." 
— In  Heb.  5. 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          193 


2.  SCIENCE  AND  TALENTS. 

The  second  mark  is  the  talent  and  learning  necessary 
for  the  fulfilment  of  the  duties  of  a  priest.  Priests  must 
be  masters  to  teach  the  people  the  law  of  God.  For  the 
lips  of  the  priest  shall  keep  knowledge,  and  they  shall  seek  the 
law  at  his  mouth.1  Sidonius  Apollinarius  used  to  say: 
"  Ignorant  physicians  are  the  cause  of  many  deaths."2 
An  ignorant  priest,  particularly  a  confessor,  who  teaches 
false  doctrines  and  gives  bad  counsels  will  be  the  ruin 
of  many  souls;  because,  inconsequence  of  being  a  priest, 
his  errors  are  easily  believed.  Hence  tvone  Carnotensis 
has  written:  "No  one  should  be  admitted  to  holy  Orders 
unless  he  has  given  sufficient  proofs  of  good  conduct  and 
learning."  : 

A  priest  must  not  only  have  a  competent  knowledge 
of  all  the  rubrics  necessary  for  the  celebration  of  Mass, 
but  must  be  also  acquainted  with  the  principal  things 
that  regard  the  sacrament  of  penance.  It  is  true,  as  we 
have  said  in  the  preceding  chapter  of  this  work,  th,at 
every  priest  is  not  obliged  to  hear  confessions,  unless 
there  is  great  necessity  for  his  assistance  in  the  district 
in  which  he  lives;  however,  every  priest  is  bound  to  be 
acquainted  with  what  a  priest  must  ordinarily  know  in 
order  to  be  able  to  hear  the  confessions  of  dying  per 
sons;  that  is,  he  is  bound  to  know  when  he  has  faculties 
to  absolve,  when  and  how  he  ought  to  give  absolution 
to  the  sick,  whether  conditionally  or  absolutely;  what 
obligation  he  ought  to  impose  on  them,  if  they  are  under 
any  censure.  He  should  also  know  at  least  the  general 
principles  of  Moral  Theology. 

"  Labia  enim  Sacerdotis  custodient  scientiam,  et  legem   requirent 
ex  ore  ejus." — Mai.  ii.  7. 

2  "  Medici  parum  docti  multos  occidunt." — Lib.  2,  ep.  12. 

3  "  Nulli  ad  sacros  Ordines  sunt  promovendi,  nisi  quos  vita  et  doc- 
trina  idoneos  probat." 

13 


1 94  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

3.  POSITIVE  GOODNESS  OF  CHARACTER. 

The  third  mark  of  an  ecclesiastical  vocation  is  positive 
virtue. 

Hence,  in  the  first  place,  the  person  who  is  to  be 
ordained  should  be  a  man  of  innocent  life,  and  should 
not  be  contaminated  by  sins.  The  Apostle  requires  that 
they  who  are  to  be  ordained  priests  should  be  free  from 
every  crime.  In  ancient  times  a  person  who  had  com 
mitted  a  single  mortal  sin  could  never  be  ordained,  as 
we  learn  from  the  First  Council  of  Nice.1  And  St. 
Jerome  says  that  it  was  not  enough  for  a  person  to  be 
free  from  sin  at  the  time  of  his  ordination,  but  that  it 
was,  moreover,  necessary  that  he  should  not  have  fallen 
into  mortal  sin  since  the  time  of  his  baptism.2  It  is  true 
that  this  rigorous  discipline  has  ceased  in  the  Church, 
but  it  has  been  always  at  least  required  that  he  who  had 
fallen  into  grievous  sins  should  purify  his  conscience 
for  a  considerable  time  before  his  ordination.  This  we 
may  infer  from  a  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  in 
which  Alexander  III.  commanded  that  a  deacon  who  had 
wounded  another  deacon,  if  he  sincerely  repented  of  his 
sin,  might,  after  being  absolved,  and  after  performing 
the  penance  enjoined,  be  permitted  again  to  exercise  his 
Order;  and  that  if  he  afterwards  led  a  perfect  life,  he 
might  be  promoted  to  priesthood.3  He,  then,  who  finds 
himself  bound  by  a  habit  of  any  vice  cannot  take  any 
holy  Order  without  incurring  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin. 
"  I  am  horrified,"  says  St.  Bernard,4  "  when  I  think 

1  "Qui    confess!    sunt    peccata,    canon     (ecclesiasticus     ordo)     non 
admittit. " — Can.  9. 

2  "  Ex  eo  tempore  quo  in  Christo  renatus  est,  nulla  peccati  consci- 
entia  remordeatur." — /;/  Tit.  I. 

3  "  Et  si  perfectae  vitae  et  conversations  fuerit,  eum  in  presbyterum 
(poteris)  ordinare." — Cap.  I,  De  diacono.  Qui  cler. 

4  "  Horreo  considerans  unde,   quo  vocaris,   praesertim    cum  nullum 
intercurrerit  pcenitentise  tempus.     Et  quidem    rectus  ordo  requirit  ut 
prius  propriam,  deinde  alienas  curare  studeas  conscientias." — Epist.  8. 


CHAP,  x.]      1'he  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          195 

whence  thou  comest,  whither  thou  goest,  and  what  a 
short  penance  thou  hast  put  between  thy  sins  and  thy 
ordination.  However,  it  is  indispensable  that  thou  do 
not  undertake  to  purify  the  conscience  of  others  before 
thou  purifiest  thy  own."  Of  those  daring  sinners  who, 
though  full  of  bad  habits,  take  priesthood,  an  ancient 
author,  Gildas,  says,  "  It  is  not  to  the  priesthood  that 
they  should  be  admitted,  but  they  should  be  dragged 
to  the  pillory."1  They,  then,  says  St.  Isidore,  who  are 
still  subject  to  the  habit  of  any  sin  should  not  be  pro 
moted  to  holy  Orders.2 

But  he  who  intends  to  ascend  the  altar  must  not  only 
be  free  from  sin,  but  must  have  also  begun  to  walk  in 
the  path  of  perfection,  and  have  acquired  a  habit  of 
virtue.  In  our  Moral  Theology3  we  have  shown  in  a 
distinct  dissertation  (and  this  is  the  common  opinion) 
that  if  a  person  in  the  habit  of  any  vice  wish  to  be 
ordained,  it  is  not  enough  for  him  to  have  the  disposi 
tions  necessary  for  the  sacrament  of  penance,  but  that 
he  must  also  have  the  dispositions  required  for  receiving 
the  sacrament  of  order;  otherwise  he  is  unfit  for  both: 
and  should  he  receive  absolution  with  the  intention  of 
taking  Orders  without  the  necessary  dispositions,  he 
and  the  confessor  who  absolves  him  shall  be  guilty  of  a 
grievous  sin.  For  it  is  not  enough  for  those  who  wish 
to  take  holy  Orders  to  have  left  the  state  of  sin:  they 
must  also,  according  to  the  words  of  Alexander  III.  (si 
perfects  vita  et  conversionis  fiterii],  cited  in  the  preceding 
paragraph,  have  the  positive  virtue  necessary  for  the 
ecclesiastical  state.  From  the  words  of  the  Pontiff  we 
learn  that  a  person  who  has  done  penance  may  exercise 

"  Multi   digniores  erant   ad   catastam  poenalem,   quam  ad  Sacer- 
dotium  trahi." — Cast,  in  eccl.  ord. 

2  "  Non  sunt  promovendi  ad  regimen  Ecclesiae,  qui  adhUc  vitiis  sub 
jacent." — Sent.  \.  3,  c.  34. 

3  J'heol.  moral.  \.  6,  n.  63,  et  s. 


196  Material  for  Sermons.  [PARTI. 

an  order  already  received,  but  he  who  has  only  done 
penance  cannot  take  a  higher  order.  The  angelic  Doc 
tor  teaches  the  same  doctrine:  "  Sanctity  is  required  for 
the  reception  of  holy  Orders,  and  we  must  place  the 
sublime  burden  of  the  priesthood  only  upon  walls 
already  dried  by  sanctity;  that  is,  freed  from  the  malig 
nant  humor  of  sin."  '  This  is  conformable  to  what  St. 
Denis  wrote  long  before:  "  Let  no  one  be  so  bold  as  to 
propose  himself  to  others  as  their  guide  in  the  things  of 
God,  if  he  has  not  first,  with  all  his  power,  transformed 
himself  into  God  to  the  point  of  perfect  resemblance  to 
him."2  For  this  St.  Thomas  adduces  two  reasons:  the 
first  is,  that  as  he  who  takes  orders  is  raised  above  seculars 
in  dignity,  so  he  should  be  superior  to  them  in  sanctity.3 
The  second  reason  is,  that  by  his  ordination  a  priest  is 
appointed  to  exercise  the  most  sublime  ministry  on  the 
altar,  for  which  greater  sanctity  is  required  than  for  the 
religious  state.4 

Hence  the  Apostle  forbade  Timothy  to  ordain  neo 
phytes;  that  is,  according  to  St.  Thomas,  neophytes  in 
perfection  as  well  as  neophytes  in  age.5  Hence  the 

1  f<  Ordines  sacri  praeexigunt  sanctitatem ;  unde  pondus  Ordinum  im- 
ponendum  est  parietibus  jam  per  sanctitatem  desiccatis,  id  est,  ab  humore 
vitiorum." — 2,  2,  q.  189,  a.  i. 

2  "  In  divino  omni   non  audendum  aliis  ducem  fieri,  nisi  secundum 
omnem  habitum  suum  factus  sit  deiformissimus  et  Deo  simillimus." — 
De  Eccl.  Hier.  c.  3. 

3  "  Ad    idoneam    executionem    Ordinum,    non    sufficit   bonitas   qua- 
liscumque,  sed  requiritur  bonitas  excellens,  ut,  sicut  illi,  qui  Ordinem 
suscipiunt,   super   plebem   constituuntur  gradu  Ordinis,  ita  et  superi- 
ores  sint  merito  sanctitatis;  et  ideo  prseexigitur  gratia  quae  sufficiat  ad 
hoc  quod  digne  connumerentur  in  plebe  Christi." — Suppl.  q.  35,  a.  i. 

4  "  Quia    per    sacrum    Ordinem    aliquis    deputatur   ad    dignissima 
ministeria,  quibus-  ipsi  Christo  servitur  in  Sacramento  altaris;  ad  quod 
requiritur   major   sanctitas    interior,    quam    requirat    etiam    religionis 
status." — 2.  2,  q.  184,  a.  8. 

5  "  Qui  non  solum  aetate  neophyti,  sed  et  qui  neophyti  sunt  perfec- 
tione." 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          197 

Council  of  Trent,  in  reference  to  the  words  of  Scripture, 
And  a  spotless  life  in  old  age?  prescribes  to  the  bishops  to 
admit  to  ordination  only  those  who  show  themselves 
worthy  by  a  conduct  full  of  wise  maturity.2  And  of  this 
positive  virtue  it  is  necessary,  according  to  St.  Thomas, 
to  have  not  a  doubtful  but  a  certain  knowledge.3  This, 
according  to  St.  Gregory,  is  particularly  necessary  with 
regard  to  the  virtue  of  chastity:  "No  one  should  be 
admitted  to  the  ministry  of  the  altar  unless  an  assurance 
has  been  given  of  his  perfect  chastity."4  With  regard 
to  chastity,  the  holy  Pontiff  required  a  proof  of  many 
years.5 

From  this  we  may  infer  that  God  will  demand  a 
terrible  account  of  the  parish  priest  who  gives  to  per 
sons  aspiring  to  the  priesthood  a  testimony  of  their 
having  frequented  the  sacraments  and  led  exemplary 
lives,  though  they  had  neglected  the  frequentation  of 
the  sacraments,  and  had  given  scandal  rather  than  good 
example.  Such  parish  priests  by  these  false  attesta 
tions,  given  not  through  charity,  as  they  pretend,  but 
against  the  charity  due  to  God  and  the  Church,  render 
themselves  guilty  of  all  the  sins  that  shall  be  afterwards 
committed  by  the  bad  priests  who  were  ordained  in 
consequence  of  these  testimonials.  For  in  this  matter 
bishops  trust  to  the  testimony  of  parish  priests,  and  are 
deceived.  Nor  should  a  parish  priest  in  giving  such 
attestations  trust  the  testimony  of  others:  he  cannot 
give  them  unless  he  is  certain  that  what  he  attests  is 

1  "  ^Etas  senectutis,  vita  immaculata." — Wisd.  iv.  9. 

"  Sciant  episcopi  debere  ad  hos  (sacros)  Ordines  assumi  dignos 
dumtaxat,  et  quorum  probata  vita  senectus  sit." — Sess.  23,  cap.  12. 

3  "  Sed  etiam  habeatur  certitude  de  qualitate  promovendorum." — 
Suppl.  q.  36,  a.  4. 

4  "  Nullus  debet  ad  ministerium  altaris  accedere,  nisi  cujus  castitas 
ante  susceptum  ministerium  fuerit  approbata." — Lib.  I,  ep.  42. 

5  "  Ne  unquam  ii  qui  ordinati  sunt,  pereant,  prius  aspiciatur  sr  vita 
eorum  continens  ab  annis  plurimis  fuit." — Lib.  3,  ep.  26. 


198  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

true,  namely,  that  the  ecclesiastic  has  really  led  an 
exemplary  life,  and  has  frequented  the  sacraments. 
And  as  a  bishop  cannot  ordain  any  person  unless  he 
be  a  man  of  approved  chastity,  so  a  confessor  cannot 
permit  an  incontinent  penitent  to  receive  ordination 
without  having  a  moral  certainty  that  he  is  free  from 
the  bad  habit  which  he  had  contracted,  and  that  he  had 
acquired  a  habit  of  the  virtue  of  chastity.* 


III. 

To  what  Dangers  one  Exposes  One's  Self  by  taking  Holy 
Orders  without  a  Vocation. 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  follows  that  he  who  takes 
holy  Orders  without  the  marks  of  a  vocation  cannot  be 
excused  from  the  guilt  of  grievous  sin.  This  is  the 
doctrine  of  many  theologians, — of  Habert,  of  Natalis 
Alexander,  of  Juenin,  and  of  the  continuator  of  Tour- 
nely.  And  before  them  St.  Augustine  taught  the  same. 
Speaking  of  the  chastisement  inflicted  on  Core,  Dathan, 
and  Abiron,  who,  without  being  called,  attempted  to 
exercise  the  sacerdotal  functions,  the  holy  Doctor  said: 
"  God  struck  them  that  they  might  serve  as  an  example, 
and  thus  to  warn  off  him  who  would  dare  to  assume  a 
sacred  charge.  Indeed,  this  is  the  chastisement  reserved 
for  those  who  would  thrust  themselves  into  the  office  of 
bishop,  priest,  or  deacon."  '  And  the  reason  is,  first,  be 
cause  he  who  thrusts  himself  into  the  sanctuary  without 
a  divine  call  cannot  be  excused  from  grievous  presump- 

1  "  Condemnati  sunt  ut  daretur  exemplum,  ne  quis  non  sibi  a  Deo 
datum  munus  pontificatus  invaderet.  .  .  .  Hoc  patiuntur  quicumque 
se  in  episcopatus,  aut  presbyteratus,  aut  diaconatus,  officium  conantur 
ingerere." — Serin.  30,  E.  B.  app. 

*  We  may  also  see  other  useful  reflections  on  the  virtue  required  to 
be  admitted  to  holy  Orders,  in  the  "Practice  of  the  Love  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  Chapter  VII,  vol.  vi.  page  382. — Eix 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          199 

tion;  secondly,  because  he  shall  be  deprived  of  the  con 
gruous  and  abundant  helps,  without  which,  as  Habert 
writes,  he  shall  be  absolutely  unable  to  comply  with  the 
obligations  of  his  state,  but  shall  fulfil  them  only  with 
great  difficulty.  He  will  be  like  a  dislocated  member, 
which  can  be  used  only  with  difficulty,  and  which  causes 
deformity.' 

Hence  Bishop  Abelly  writes:  "  He  who  of  himself,  with 
out  inquiring  whether  he  has  a  vocation  or  not,  thrusts 
himself  into  the  priesthood  will  no  doubt  expose  himself 
to  the  great  danger  of  losing  his  soul;  for  he  commits 
against  the  Holy  Spirit  that  sin  for  which,  as  the  Gospel 
says,  there  is  hardly  or  very  rarely  any  pardon."' 

The  Lord  has  declared  that  his  wrath  is  provoked 
against  those  who  wish  to  rule  in  his  Church  without 
being  called  by  him.  On  this  passage  St.  Gregory  says, 
"  It  is  by  themselves  and  not  by  the  will  of  the  Supreme 
Head  that  they  reign.'"  Divine  vocation  is  entirely 
wanting  to  them,  and  they  have  followed  only  the  ardor 
of  vile  cupidity,  not  certainly  to  accept,  but  to  usurp  this 
sublime  dignity.4  How  many  intrigues,  adulations,  en 
treaties,  and  other  means  do  certain  persons  employ  in 
order  to  procure  ordination,  not  in  obedience  to  the  call 
of  God,  but  through  earthly  motives  !  But  woe  to  such 

1  "  Manebitque   in   corpora   Ecclesise  velut   membrum    in   corpora 
humano  suis  sedibus  motum,  quod  servire  potest,  sed  segre  admodum 
et  cum  deformitate.'' — De  Ord.  p.  3,  c.  i,  §  2. 

2  "  Qui  sciens  et  volens,  nulla  divinae  vocationis  habita  ratione,  sese 
in  sacerdotium  intruderet,  baud  dubie  seipsum  in  apertissimum  salutis 
discrimen  injiceret,  peccando  scilicet  in  Spiritum  Sanctum,  quod  qiii- 
dem  peccatum  vix  aut  rarissime  dimitti  ex  Evangelio  discimus." — Sac. 
chr.  p.  I,  c.  4. 

3  "  Ipsi  regnaverunt,  et  non  ex  me,  .   .  .  iratus  est  furor  meus  in 
eos." — Os.  viii.  4. 

4  "  Ex  se,  et  non  ex  arbitrio  summi  Rectoris,  regnant:  nequaquam 
divinitus  vocati,  sed  sua  cupidine  accensi,  culmen  regiminis  rapiunt 
potius  quam  assequuntur." — Past.  p.  I,  c.  i. 


2OO  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

men,  says  the  Lord  by  the  prophet  Isaias:  Woe  to  you, 
apostate  children,  .  .  .  that  you  would  take  counsel,  and  not  of 
me.1  On  the  day  of  judgment  they  shall  claim  a  reward, 
but  Jesus  Christ  shall  cast  them  off.  Many  will  say  to 
Me  in  that  day,  have  we  not  prophesied  in  Thy  name  (by 
preaching  and  teaching),  and  cast  out  devils  in  Thy  name 
(by  absolving  penitent  sinners),  and  done  many  miracles  in 
Thy  name  (by  correcting  the  wicked,  by  settling  disputes, 
by  converting  sinners).  And  then  will  I  prof  ess  unto  them: 
I  never  knew  you;  depart  from  Me,  you  that  work  iniquity?' 
Priests  who  have  not  been  called  are  indeed  workmen 
and  ministers  of  God,  because  they  have  received  the 
sacerdotal  character;  but  they  are  ministers  of  iniquity 
and  rapine,  because  they  have  of  their  own  will,  and 
without  vocation,  intruded  themselves  into  the  sheep- 
fold.  They  have  not,  as  St.  Bernard  says,3  received  the 
keys,  but  have  taken  them  by  force.  They  toil,  but  God 
will  not  accept;  he  will,  on  the  contrary,  punish  their 
works  and  labors,  because  they  have  not  entered  'the 
sanctuary  by  the  straight  path.  The  labor  of  fools  shall 
afflict  them  that  know  not  how  to  go  to  the  city?  The 
Church,  says  St.  Leo,  receives  only  those  whom  the  Lord 
chooses,  and  by  his  election  makes  fit  to  be  his  minis 
ters.5  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Church  rejects  those 

1  "  Vae  filii  desertores,  dicit  Dominus,  ut  faceretis  consilium,  et  non 
ex  me  !" — Isa.  xxx.  i. 

2  "  Multi  dicent  mihi  in  ilia  die.     Domine,  Domine.  nonne  in  nomine 
tuo  prophetavimus  (praedicando,  docendo),  et  in  nomine  tuo  daemonia 
ejecimus  (absolvendo  poenitentes),  et  in  nomine  tuo  virtutes  multas 
fecimus  (corrigendo,  lites  componendo,  errantes  reducendo)? — Et  tune 
confitebor  illis:  Quh   nunquam  novi  vos:  discedite  a  me,  qui  opera- 
mini  iniquitatem." — Matt.  vii.  22. 

3  "  Tollitis,  non  accipitis  claves;  de  qtiibus  Dominus  queritur:   '  Ipsi 
regnaverunt,  et  non  ex  me.'  " — De  Conv.  ad  cler.  c.  19. 

4  ''Labor  stultorum  affliget  eos,  qui   nesciunt  in  urbem  pergere." — 
Eccles.  x.  15. 

5  "Eos  Ecclesia  accipit,  quos  Spiritus  Sanctus  praeparavit,   .   .   .   et 
dignatio  coelestis  gratia^  gignit." — In  die  ass.  SIKZ,  s.  2. 


CHAP,  x.j      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          201 

whom,  as  St.  Peter  Darnian  has  written,  God  has  not 
called;  for  instead  of  promoting  her  welfare,  they  com 
mit  havoc  among  her  members;  and  instead  of  edifying, 
they  contaminate  and  destroy  her  children.1 

Whom  He  (the  Lord)  shall  choose,  they  shall  approach  to 
Him.'2'  God  will  gladly  admit  into  his  presence  all  whom 
he  has  called  to  the  priesthood,  and  will  cast  off  the  priest 
whom  he  has  not  chosen.  St.  Ephrem  regards  as  lost 
the  man  who  is  so  daring  as  to  take  the  order  of  priest 
hood  without  a  vocation.  "I  am  astonished,"  he  says, 
"at  that  which  those  fools  dare  to  do,  who,  without  the 
grace  of  vocation  through  Christ,  full  of  boldness,  seek 
to  insinuate  themselves  into  the  office  of  the  priesthood. 
Miserable  beings,  that  know  not  that  they  are  preparing 
for  themselves  an  eternal  fire.":  And  Peter  de  Blois 
has  written:  "What  ruin  does  not  the  bold  man  prepare 
for  himself  who  of  the  sacrifice  makes  a  sacrilege,  and 
of  life  an  instrument  of  death!"'  He  who  errs  in  his 
vocation  exposes  himself  to  greater  danger  than  if  he 
transgressed  particular  precepts;  for  if  he  violates  a 
particular  command,  he  may  rise  from  his  fall,  and  begin 
again  to  walk  in  the  right  path,  but  he  who  errs  in  his 
vocation  mistakes  the  way  itself.  Hence  the  longer  he 
travels  in  it,  the  more  distant  he  is  from  his  home.  To 
him  we  may  justly  apply  the  words  of  St.  Augustine: 
"You  run  well,  but  on  the  wrong  road."5 

It  is  necessary  to  be  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  what 
St.  Gregory  says,  that  our  eternal  salvation  depends 

1  "  Nemo  deterius  Ecclesiam  laedit." — Cont.  cler.  mil.  c.  3. 

2  "  Quos  elegerit  (Dominus),  appropinquabunt  ei." — Num.  xvi.  5. 

3  "  Obstupesco  ad  ea  quse  soliti  sunt  quidam  insipientium  audere,  qui 
temere  se  conantur  ingerere  ad  munus  Sacerdotii  assumendum,  licet 
non  adsciti  a  gratia  Christi:  ignorantes,  miseri,  quod  ignem  et  mortem 
sibi  accumulant." — Or.  de  Sacerd. 

4  "  Quam  perditus  est,  qui  sacrificium  in  sacrilegium,  qui  vitam  con- 
vertit  in  mortem." — Ep.  ad  rich.  land. 

5  "  Bene  curris,  sed  extra  viam./' 


2O2  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

principally  on  embracing  the  state  to  which  God  has 
called  us.1  The  reason  is  evident:  for  it  is  God  that 
destines,  according  to  the  order  of  his  Providence,  his 
state  of  life  for  each  individual,  and  according  to  the 
state  to  which  he  calls  him,  prepares  for  him  abundant 
graces  and  suitable  helps.  "  In  the  distribution  of  graces," 
says  St.  Cyprian,  "  the  Holy  Spirit  takes  into  considera 
tion  his  own  plan  and  not  our  caprices."1  And  accord 
ing  to  the  Apostle:  And  whom  He  predestinated,  them  He 
also  called.  And  whom  He  called,  them  He  also  justified? 
Thus  to  vocation  succeeds  justification,  and  to  justifica 
tion,  glory;  that  is,  the  attainment  of  eternal  life.  He, 
then,  who  does  not  obey  the  call  of  God  shall  neither  be 
justified  nor  glorified.  Father  Granada  justly  said  that 
vocation  is  the  main  wheel  of  our  entire  life.  As  in  a 
clock,  if  the  main  wheel  be  spoiled  the  entire  clock  is 
injured,  so,  says  St.  Gregory  Nazianzen,  if  a  person  err 
in  his  vocation  his  whole  life  will  be  full  of  errors;  for 
in  the  state  to  which  God  has  not  called  him  he  will  be 
deprived  of  the  helps  by  which  he  can  with  facility  lead 
a  good  life. 

Every  one,  says  St.  Paul,  hath  his  proper  gift  from  God; 
one  after  this  manner,  and  another  after  that.*  The  mean 
ing  of  this  passage,  according  to  St.  Thomas  and  other 
commentators,  is,  that  the  Lord  gives  to  each  one  graces 
to  fulfil  with  ease  the  obligations  of  the  state  to  which 
he  calls  him.  "God,"  says  the  angelic  Doctor,  "gives 
to  every  man  not  only  certain  aptitudes,  but  also  all  that 
is  necessary  to  exercise  them." '  And  in  another  place 

1  "A  vocatione  pendet  aeternitas." 

2  "Ordine  suo,  non  nostro  arbitrio,  Sancti  Spiritus  virtus  ministra- 
tur. " — De  Sing.  clcr. 

3  "  Quos  praedestinavit,  hos  et  vocavit;  et  quos  vocavit,  hos  et  justi- 
ficavit;  quos  autem  justificavit,  illos  et  glorificavit." — Rom.  viii.  30. 

4  "  Unusquisque  proprium  donum  habet  ex  Deo:  alius  quidem  sic, 
alius  vero  sic." — i  Cor.  vii.  7, 

5  "  Cuicumque  datur  potentia  aliqua  divinitus,  dantur  etiam  ea  per 
quae  executio  illius  poientiae  possit  congrue  fieri." — Suppl.  q.  35,  a.  i. 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          203 

he  writes:  "God  does  not  destine  men  to  such  or  such  a 
vocation  without  favoring  them  with  gifts  at  the  same 
time,  and  preparing  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  render 
them  capable  of  fulfilling  the  duties  of  their  vocation; 
for,  says  St.  Paul:  Our  sufficiency  is  from  God,  who  also 
hath  made  us  fit  ministers  of  the  New  Testament?  As  each 
person,  then,  will  be  able  to  discharge  with  facility  the 
office  to  which  God  elects  him,  so  he  will  be  unfit  for  the 
fulfilment  of  the  office  to  which  God  does  not  call  him. 
The  foot,  which  is  given  to  enable  us  to  walk,  cannot  see; 
the  eye,  which  is  given  to  see,  is  incapable  of  hearing; 
and  how  shall  he  whojs  not  chosen  by  God  to  the  priest 
hood  be  able  to  discharge  its  obligations? 

It  belongs  to  the  Lord  to  choose  the  workmen  who  are 
to  cultivate  his  vineyard:  I  have  chosen  you,  .  .  .  and  have 
appointed  you  that  you  should  go,  and  should  bring  forth  fruit? 
Hence  the  Redeemer  did  not  say,  Beg  of  men  to  go  and 
gather  the  harvest;  but  he  tells  us  to  ask  the  master  of 
the  crop  to  send  workmen  to  collect  it.3  Hence  he  also 
said:  As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you."  When 
God  calls,  he  himself,  says  St.  Leo,  gives  the  necessary 
helps.5  This  is  what  Jesus  Christ  has  said:  I  am  the  door. 
By  Me  if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall  be  saved,  and  he  shall  go 
in,  and  go  out,  and  shall  find  pastures.6  "  He  shall  go  in:"  7 

1  "  Illos  quos  Deus  ad  aliquid  eligit,  ita  praeparat  et  disponit,  tit  ad 
id  ad  quod  eliguntur,   inveniantur  idonei,  secundum  illud:   '  Idoneos 
nos  fecit  ministros  Novi  Testament!.'" — (2  Cor.  iii.  5.) — P.  3,  q.  27^ a.  4. 

2  "  Ego  elegi  vos,  et  posui  vos,  ut   eatis   et  fructum  afferatis." — 
John,  xv.  1 6. 

3  "  Rogate  ergo  dominum   messis,  ut  mittat  operarios  in  messem 
suam." — Ltike,  x    2. 

4  "  Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos." — John,  xx.  21. 

5  ' '  Qai  mihi  honoris  est  auctor,  ipse  mihi  fiet  administrationum  adju- 
tor;  dabit  virtutem,  qui  contulit  dignitatem." — In  die  ass.  sucz,  s.  i. 

6  "  Ego  sum  ostium.      Per  me  si  quis  introierit,  salvabitur;  et  ingre- 
dietur,  et  egredietur,  et  pascua  inveniet." — John,  x.  g. 

r  "  Ingjedietur. " 


204  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

what  the  priest  called  by  God  undertakes,  he  shall  easily 
accomplish  without  sin,  and  with  merit.  And  shall  go 
otit:1  he  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  perils  and  occasions  of 
sin,  but  with  the  divine  aid  he  shall  readily  escape  injury. 
And  shall  find  pastures:''  finally,  in  consequence  of  being 
in  the  state  in  which  God  has  placed  him,  he  will  be  as 
sisted  in  all  the  duties  of  his  ministry  by  special  graces, 
which  will  make  him  advance  in  perfection.  Hence  he 
will  be  able  to  say  with  confidence,  The  Lord  ruleth  me: 
and  I  shall  want  nothing.  He  hath  set  me  in  a  place  of 
pasture? 

But  priests  whom  God  has  not  sent  to  work  in  his 
'Church  he  shall  abandon  to  eternal  ignominy  and  de 
struction.  /  did  not  send  prophets,  says  the  Lord  by  the 
prophet  Jeremiah,  yet  they  ran.  He  afterwards  adds: 
Therefore  I  will  take  you  away,  carrying  you,  and  will  for 
sake  you;  .  .  .  and  I  will  bring  an  everlasting  reproach  upon 
you,  and  a  perpetual  shame  which  shall  never  be  forgotten? 

In  order  to  be  raised  to  the  sublimity  of  the  priesthood, 
it  is  necessary,  as  St.  Thomas  says,  for  a  man  "  to  be  ex 
alted  and  elevated  by  divine  power  above  the  natural 
order  of  things,"  5  because  he  is  appointed  the  sanctifier 
of  the  people,  and  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ.  But  in  him 
who  raises  himself  to  so  great  a  dignity  shall  be  verified 
the  words  of  the  Wise  Man:  There  is  that  hath  appeared  a 
fool  after  he  was  lifted  up  on  high*  Had  he  remained  in 

1  "  Et  egredietur." 

2  "  Et  pascua  inveniet." 

3  "  Dominus  regit  me,  et  nihil  mihi  deerit;  in  loco  pascuae  ibi  me 
collocavit." — Ps.  xxii.  i. 

4  "  Non  mittebam  prophetas,  et  ipsi  currebant. — Propterea  ecce  ego 
tollam  vos  p6rtans,  et  derelinquam  vos;  .   .   .  et  dabo  vos  in  oppro 
brium  sempiternum,  et  in  ignominiam  aeternam,  quae  nunquam  obli- 
vione  delebitur." — Jer.  xxiii.  21-39. 

5  "  Ut  divina  virtute  evehatur,  et  transmittatur  supra  naturalem  re- 
rum  ordinem." — Habert,  de  Ord.  p.  3,  c.  i,  §  2. 

6  "  Stultus   apparuit,   postquam    elevatus    est    in    sublime." — P_rov. 
xxx.  32. 


CHAF.  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          205 

the  world,  he  should  perhaps  have  been  a  virtuous  lay 
man;  but  having  become  a  priest  without  a  vocation,  he 
will  be  a  bad  priest,  and  instead  of  promoting  the  interest 
of  religion,  he  will  do  great  injury  to  the  Church.  Of 
such  priests  the  Roman  Catechism  says:  "Such  minis 
ters  are  for  the  Church  of  God  the  gravest  embarrass 
ment  and  the  most  terrible  scourge."  ]  And  what  good 
can  be  expected  from  the  priest  who  has  entered  the 
sanctuary  without  a  vocation?  "  It  is  impossible,"  says 
St.  Leo,  "  that  a  work  so  badly  begun  should  finish 
well."2  St.  Laurence  Justinian  has  written:  "What 
fruit,  I  ask,  can  come  from  a  corrupted  root?"3  Our 
Saviour  has  said,  Every  plant  which  My  heavenly  Father 
hath  not  planted  shall  be  rooted  up?  Hence  Peter  de  Blois 
writes  that  when  God  permits  a  person  to  be  ordained 
without  a  vocation,  the  permission  is  not  a  grace,  but  a 
chastisement.  For  a  tree  which  has  not  taken  deep 
root,  when  exposed  to  the  tempest  shall  soon  fall  and 
be  cast  into  the  fire.5  And  St.  Bernard  says  that  he  who 
has  not  lawfully  entered  the  sanctuary  shall  continue  to 
be  unfaithful;  and  instead  of  procuring  the  salvation  of 
souls,  he  shall  be  the  cause  of  their  death  and  perdition.6 
This  is  conformable  to  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ:  He 

1  "  Hujusmodi  hominum  genere  nihil  infelicius,  nihil  Ecclesiae  Dei 
calamitosius  esse  potest." — P.  2,  c.  7,  q.  3. 

2  "  Difficile  est  ut  bono  peragantur  exitu,  quae  malo  sunt  inchoata 
principio." — Epist.  87. 

3"Qualem,  oro,  potest  fructum   producere  corrupta  radix  T—De 
Conipunct. 

"  Omnis  plantatio,  quam  non  plantavit  Pater  meus  coelestis,  eradi- 
cabitur." — Matt.  xv.  13. 

5  "  Ira  est,  non  gratia,  cum  quis  ponitur  super  ventum,  nullas  habens 
radices  in  soliditate  virtutum." — De  inst.  ep.  c.  3. 

6  "Qui  non  fideliter  introivit,  quidni  infideliter  agat  et  contra  Chris 
tum?  faciet  ad  quod  venit,  ut  mactet  utique  et  disperdat." — De  Vita 
cler.  c.  7. 


206  Material  for  Sermons.  [PART  i. 

that  entereth  not  by  the  door  into  the  sheepfold,  .  .  .  the  same 
is  a  thief  and  a  robber? 

Some  may  say,  if  they  only  were  admitted  to  orders 
who  have  the  marks  of  vocation  which  have  been  laid 
down  as  indispensable,  there  should  be  but  few  priests 
in  the  Church,  and  the  people  should  be  left  without  the 
necessary  helps.  But  to  this  the  Fourth  Council  of 
Lateran  has  answered:  "It  is  much  better  to  confer  the 
priesthood  on  a  small  number  of  virtuous  clerics  than  to 
have  a  large  number  of  bad  priests."2  And  St.  Thomas 
says  that  God  never  abandons  his  Church  so  as  to  leave 
her  in  want  of  fit  ministers  to  provide  for  the  necessity 
of  the  people.3  St.  Leo  justly  says  that  to  provide  for 
the  wants  of  the  people  by  bad  priests  would  be  not  to 
save  but  to  destroy  them.4 

If,  then,  a  priest  has  been  ordained  without  a  vocation, 
what  must  he  do?5  Must  he  look  on  himself  as  lost? 
must  he  abandon  himself  to  despair?  No.  St.  Gregory 
has  asked  the  same  question.  He  answers:  "  He  must 
lament."'  Behold  what  such  a  priest  must  do  if  he 
wish  to  save  his  soul:  "  He  must  lament;"6  he  must 
weep,  and  seek  to  appease  the  anger  of  God  by  tears 
and  by  repentance,  and  to  move  him  to  pardon  the  great 
sin  that  he  committed  in  thrusting  himself  into  the 
sanctuary  without  a  divine  call.  He  must,  as  St.  Bernard 
exhorts,  endeavor  to  attain  after  his  ordination  the 
sanctity  of  life  which  ought  to  precede  it.7  He  must 

1  "  Qui  non  intrat  per  ostium,  .  .   .  ille  fur  est  et  latro. — Fur  non 
venit  nisi  ut  furetur,  et  mactet,  et  perdat." — John,  x.  i-io. 

2  "  Satius  est  maxime  in  ordinatione  sacerdotum  paucos  bonos  quam 
multos  malos  habere." — Cap.  27. 

3  "  Deus   nunquam   ita  deserit    Ecclesiam   suam,    quin   inveniantur 
idonei  ministri  sufficientes  ad  necessitatem  plebis." — Suppl.  q.  36,  a.  4. 

4  "  Non  est  hoc  consulere  populis,  sed  nocere." — Epist.  87. 

5  "  Sacerdos  sum  non  vocatus;  quid  faciendum?" 

6  "  Ingemiscendum." 

1  "Si  vitse  sanctitas  non  praecessit,  sequatur  saltern." 


CHAP,  x.]      The  Vocation  to  the  Priesthood.          207 

change  his  conduct,  his  conversation  and  pursuits.  "  Let 
all  be  holy — your  life  and  your  works,"  1  continues  the 
saint.  If  he  is  ignorant,  he  must  study;  if  he  has  spent 
his  time  in  worldly  conversations  and  amusements,  he 
must  change  them  into  meditations,  spiritual  reading, 
and  visits  to  the  churches.  But  to  do  this  he  must  use 
violence  to  himself;  for,  as  has  been  already  said,  since 
he  has  entered  the  sanctuary  without  a  vocation,  he  is 
but  a  dislocated  member,  and  therefore  he  must  work 
out  his  salvation  with  great  difficulty  and  great  labor. 
But  if  in  consequence  of  having  become  a  priest  without 
a  divine  call,  he  is,  as  has  been  shown,  bereft  of  the  helps 
necessary  to  enable  him  to  discharge  with  facility  the 
obligations  of  the  priesthood,  how  shall  he  without  these 
helps  fulfil  the  sacerdotal  duties  ?  Habert,2  and  the  con- 
tinuator  of  Tournely,3  say,  let  him  pray,  and  by  his 
prayers  he  shall  obtain  that  assistance  which  he  does 
not  deserve.4  This  is  conformable  to  the  doctrine  of 
the  Council  of  Trent:  "  God  commands  not  impossibili 
ties,  but,  by  commanding,  both  admonishes  thee  to  do 
what  thou  art  able,  and  to  pray  for  what  thou  art  not 
able  (to  do),  and  aids  thee  that  thou  mayest  be  able."5 

1  "  Bonas  fac  de  caetero  vias  tuas  et  studia  tua." — Epist.  27. 

2  De  Ord.  p.  3,  c.  i,  §  2. 

3  De  Oblig.  cler.  c.  i,  a.  I,  concl.  3. 

"  Deus  tune  ex  misericordia  ea  homini  largitur  auxilia,  qu<e  le- 
gitime  vocatis  ex  qualicumque  justhia  debet." 

"  Deus  impossibilia  non  jubet;  sed  jubendo  monet,  et  facere  quod 
possis,  et  petere  quod  non  possis;  et  adjuvat  ut  possis." — Sess.  6, 
cap.  ii. 


PART   II. 

MATERIAL  FOR  INSTRUCTIONS. 


INSTRUCTION    I. 


THE    CELEBRATION    OF    MASS. 


Importance  of  the  Holy  Sacrifice   and  what  it   Exacts  of  the 

Priest. 

For  every  high-priest  taken  from  among  men  is  ordained 
for  men  in  the  things  that  appertain  to  God,  that  he  may  offer 
up  gifts  and  sacrifices  for  sins.1  The  priest,  then,  is  placed 
by  God  in  the  Church  in  order  to  offer  sacrifice.  This 
office  is  peculiar  to  the  priests  of  the  Law  of  grace,  to 
whom  has  been  given  the  power  of  offering  the  great 
sacrifice  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Son  of  God — a 
sacrifice  sublime  and  perfect  in  comparison  with  the 
ancient  sacrifices,  the  entire  perfection  of  which  con 
sisted  in  being  the  shadow  and  figure  of  our  sacrifice. 
They  were  sacrifices  of  calves  and  oxen,  but  ours  is  the 
sacrifice  of  the  eternal  Word  made  Man.  Of  themselves 
they  had  no  efficacy,  and  were  therefore  called  by  St. 
Paul  weak  and  needy  elements?  But  ours  has  power  to 
obtain  the  remission  of  the  temporal  penalties  due  to  sins, 

1  "Omnis  namque  Pontifex,  ex  hominibus  assumptus,  pro  homini- 
bus  constituitur  in  iis  quae  sunt  ad  Deum,  ut  offerat  dona  et  sacrificia 
pro  peccatis." — Hcb.  v.  i. 

2  "  Infirma  et  egena  elementa." — Gal.  iv.  9. 


INSTR.  i.i  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  209 

and  to  procure  an  augmentation  of  grace,  and  more 
abundant  helps  for  those  in  whose  behalf  it  is  offered. 

The  priest  who  has  not  a  just  idea  of  the  Mass  shall 
never  offer  that  holy  sacrifice  as  he  ought.  Jesus  Christ 
performed  no  action  on  earth  greater  than  the  celebra 
tion  of  Mass.  In  a  word,  of  all  actions  that  can  be  per 
formed,  the  Mass  is  the  most  holy  and  dear  to  God;  as 
well  on  account  of  the  oblation  presented  to  God,  that 
is,  Jesus  Christ,  a  victim  of  infinite  dignity,  as  on  account 
of  the  first  offerer,  Jesus  Christ,  who  offers  himself  on 
the  altar  by  the  hand  of  the  priest.  "  The  same  now 
offering,"  says  the  Council  of  Trent,  "by  the  ministry 
of  priests,  who  then  offered  himself  on  the  cross."  '  St. 
John  Chrysostom  said:  "  When  you  see  a  priest  offering, 
do  not  believe  that  this  is  done  by  the  hand  of  a  priest; 
the  offering  is  made  rather  by  the  hand  of  God  invisibly 
stretched  out."5 

All  the  honors  that  the  angels  by  their  homages,  and 
men  by  their  virtues,  penances,  and  martyrdoms,  and 
other  holy  works,  have  ever  given  to  God  could  not  give 
him  as  much  glory  as  a  single  Mass.  For  all  the  honors 
of  creatures  are  finite  honors,  but  the  honor  given  to 
God  in  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar,  because  it  proceeds 
from  a  divine  person,  is  an  infinite  honor.  Hence  we 
must  confess  that  of  all  actions  the  Mass,  as  the  Council 
of  Trent  says,  is  the  most  holy  and  divine:  "We  must 
needs  confess  that  no  other  work  can  be  performed  by 
the  faithful  so  holy  and  divine  as  this  tremendous  mys 
tery  itself."3  It  is,  then,  as  we  have  seen,  an  action  the 

1  "  Idem  nunc  offerens,  Sacerdotum  ministerio,  qui  seipsum  tune  in 
cruce  obtulit." — Sess.  22,  cap.  2. 

2  "  Cum    videris    Sacerdotem    offerentem,    ne    ut  Sacerdotem  esse. 
putes,    sed    Christ!    manum    invisibiliter   extensam." — Ad  pop.   Ant. 
horn.  60. 

3  "  Necessario  fatemur  nullum  aliud  opus  adeo  sanctum  ac  divinum 
a  Christ!  fidelibus  tractari  posse,  quam  hoc  tremendum  mysterium.'' 
— Sess.  22,  Deer,  de  obs.  in  eel.  M. 

14 


210  Material  for  Instructions.          [PARTII. 

most  holy  and  dear  to  God — an  action  that  appeases 
most  efficaciously  the  anger  of  God  against  sinners,  that 
beats  down  most  effectually  the  powers  of  hell,  that 
brings  to  men  on  earth  the  greatest  benefits,  and  that 
affords  to  the  souls  in  purgatory  the  greatest  relief.  It 
is,  in  fine,  an  action  in  which,  as  St.  Udone,  Abbot  of 
Cluni,  has  written,  consists  the  entire  salvation  of  the 
world:  "  Of  all  the  favors  granted  to  me  this  is  the 
greatest:  it  is  truly  by  the  most  generous  ardor  of  his 
love  that  God  instituted  this  mystery,  without  which 
there  would  be  no  salvation  in  this  world."  ]  And  speak 
ing  of  the  Mass,  Timothy  of  Jerusalem  said  that  by  it 
the  world  is  preserved.2  But  for  the  Mass  the  earth 
should  have  long  since  perished  on  account  of  the  sins 
of  men. 

St.  Bonaventure  says  that  in  each  Mass  God  bestows 
on  the  world  a  benefit  not  inferior  to  that  which  he 
conferred  by  his  incarnation.3  This  is  conformable  to 
the  celebrated  words  of  St.  Augustine:  "  O  venerable  dig 
nity  of  the  priests,  in  whose  hands,  as  in  the  womb  of  the 
Virgin,  the  Son  of  God  became  incarnate!"^  Moreover, 
St.  Thomas  teaches  that  since  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar 
is  nothing  else  than  the  application  and  renewal  of  the 
sacrifice  of  the  cross,  a  single  Mass  brings  to  men  the 
same  benefits  and  salvation  that  were  produced  by  the 


1  "  Hoc   beneficium  majus  est  inter  omnia  bona  quae  hominibus 
concessa   sunt,   et   hoc  est  quod   Deus  majori  charitate   mortalibus 
indulsit,  quia  in  hoc  mysterio  salus  mundi  tota  consistit." — Collat,  1. 
2,  c.  28. 

2  "  Per  quam  orbis  terrae  consistit." — Or.  de proph.  Sim. 

3  "  Non  minus  videtur  facere  Deus  in  hoc  quod  quotidie  dignatur 
descendere  de  coelo  super  altare,  quam  cum  naturam  humani  generis 
assumpsit." — De  Inst.  Novit.  p.  I,  c.  n. 

4  "O  veneranda  Sacerdotum  dignitas,  in  quorum  manibus,  velut  in 
utero  Virginis,   Filius  Dei  incarnatur." — Molina,   Instr.  Sac.  tr.  i,  c. 
5,  §2. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  211 

sacrifice  of  the  cross.1  St.  John  Chrysostom  says:  "  The 
celebration  of  a  Mass  has  the  same  value  as  the  death  of 
Christ  on  the  cross."2  And  of  this  we  are  still  more 
assured  by  the  holy  Church  in  the  Collect  for  the  Sun 
day  aft'er  Pentecost:  "  As  many  times  as  this  commemo 
rative  sacrifice  is  celebrated,  so  often  is  the  work  of  our 
redemption  performed."1  The  same  Redeemer  who 
once  offered  himself  on  the  cross  is  immolated  on  the 
altar  by  the  ministry  of  his  priests.  "  For  the  victim  is 
one  and  the  same,"  says  the  Council  of  Trent:  "the 
same  now  offering  by  the  ministry  of  priests,  who  then 
offered  Himself  on  the  cross,  the  manner  alone  of  offer 
ing  being  different."" 

In  a  word,  the  Mass  is,  according  to  the  prediction  of 
the  prophet,  "  the  good  and  the  beautiful  thing"  of  the 
Church:  For  what  is  the  good  thing  of  him,  and  what  is  his 
beautiful  thing,  but  the  corn  of  the  elect  and  wine  springing 
forth  virgins?*  In  the  Mass,  Jesus  Christ  gives  himself 
to  us  by  means  of  the  most  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar, 
which  is  the  end  and  object  of  all  the  other  sacraments, 
says  the  angelic  Doctor.6  Justly,  then,  has  St.  Bona- 
venture  called  the  Mass  a  compendium  of  all  God's  love 
and  of  all  his  benefits  to  men.7  Hence  the  devil  has 

1  "  In  qualibet  Missa  invenitur  omnis  fructus  quern  Christus  operatus 
est   in  cruce." — J.  Herolt,De  Sanct.  s.   48.      "  Quidquid  est  effectus 
Dominicae  passionis,  est  effectus  hujus  Sacramend." — In  Jo.  6,  lect.  6. 

2  "  Tantum  valet  celebratio  Missse,  quantum  mors  Christ!  in  cruce." 
— /.  Herolt,  De  Sanct.  s.  48. 

3  "Quoties  hujus  Hostise  commemoratio  celebratur,  opus  nostrae 
redemptionis  exercetur." — Miss.  Doni.  9 /.  Pent. 

4  "  Una  enim  eademque  est  Hostia,  idem  nunc  offerens  Sacerdotum 
ministerio,  qui  seipsum  tune  in  cruce  obtulit,  sola  offerendi  ratione 
di versa." — Sess.  22,  cap.  2. 

5  "Quid  enim  bonum  ejus  est,  et  quid  pulchrum  ejus,  nisi  frumentum 
electorum,  et  vinum  germinans  virgines?" — Zach.  ix.  17. 

"Sacramenta  in  Eucharistia  consummantur." — P.  3,  q.  65,  a.  3. 

"  Et  ideo  hoc  est  memoriale  totius  dilectionis  suse,  et  quasi  com 
pendium  quoddam  omnium  beneficiorum  suorum." — De  Inst.  Novit . 
p.  i,  c.  ii. 


2 1 2  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

always  sought  to  deprive  the  world  of  the  Mass  by 
means  of  the  heretics,  constituting  them  precursors  of 
Antichrist,  whose  first  efforts  shall  be  to  abolish  the 
holy  sacrifice  of  the  altar,  and,  according  to  the  prophet 
Daniel,  in  punishment  of  the  sins  of  men,  his.  efforts 
shall  be  successful:  And  strength  was  given  him  against  the 
continual  sacrifice  because  of  sins? 

Most  justly,  then,  does  the  holy  Council  of  Trent  re 
quire  of  priests  to  be  most  careful  to  celebrate  Mass 
with  the  greatest  possible  devotion  and  purity  of  con 
science:  "It  is  sufficiently  clear  that  all  industry  and 
diligence  is  to  be  applied  to  this  end,  that  it  (the  mys 
tery)  be  performed  with  the  greatest  possible  inward 
cleanness  and  purity  of  heart."2  And  in  the  same  place 
the  Council  justly  remarks,  that  on  priests  who  celebrate 
this  great  sacrifice  negligently,  and  without  devotion, 
shall  fall  the  malediction  threatened  by  the  prophet 
Jeremiah:  Cursed  be  he  that  doth  the  work  of  the  Lord 
negligently?  And  St.  Bonaventure  says  that  he  who 
approaches  the  altar  without  reverence  and  considera 
tion,  celebrates  or  communicates  unworthily.4  In  order, 
then,  to  avoid  this  malediction,  let  us  see  what  the 
priest  must  do  before  Mass,  during  Mass,  and  after 
Mass.  Before  Mass  preparation  is  necessary,  during 
the  celebration  of  Mass  reverence  and  devotion  are  neces 
sary,  after  Mass  thanksgiving  is  necessary.  A  servant 
of  God  used  to  say  that  the  life  of  a  priest  should  be 
nothing  else  than  preparation  and  thanksgiving  for 
Mass. 

1  "  Robur   autem    datum    est   ei    contra   juge    Sacrificium    propter 
peccata." — Dan.  viii.  12. 

2  "  Satis    apparet   omnem  operam  et  diligentiam  in  eo  ponendam 
esse,  ut  quanta  maxima  fieri  potest  interiori  cordis  munditia    pera- 
gatur." — Sess.  22,  Deer,  de  obs.  in  eel.  M. 

3  "  Maledictus,  qui  facit  opus  Domini  fraudulenter." — Jer.  xlviii.  10. 

4  "  Cave   ne   nimis    tepidus   accedas;    quia    indigne    sumis,    si    non 
accedis  reverenter  et  considerate." — De  Pnep.  ad  M.  c.  5. 


INSTR.  i.]  Tke  Celebration  of  Mass.  213 

II. 

The  Preparation  for  Mass. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  priest  must  make  his  prep 
aration  before  Mass. 

Before  we  come  to  practice,  I  ask  how  does  it  happen 
that  there  are  so  many  priests  in  the  world  and  so  few 
holy  priests?  St.  Francis  de  Sales1  called  the  Mass  a 
mystery  which  comprises  the  entire  abyss  of  divine  love. 
St.  John  Chrysostom  used  to  say  that  the  most  holy 
sacrament  of  the  altar  is  the  treasure  of  all  God's  benig 
nity.2  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Holy  Eucharist  has 
been  instituted  for  all  the  faithful,  but  it  is  a  gift  be 
stowed  in  a  special  manner  on  priests.  Give  not,  says 
our  Lord,  addressing  priests,  that  which  is  holy  to  dogs  ; 
neither  cast  ye  your  pearls  before  swine.'6  Mark  the  words 
your  pearls.  In  the  Greek  the  consecrated  particles  are 
called  pearls  ;  but  these  pearls  are  called,  as  it  were,  the 
property  of  priests:  your  pearls.  Hence,  as  St.  John 
Chrysostom  says,  every  priest  should  leave  the  altar  all 
inflamed  with  divine  love,  so  as  to  strike  terror  into  the 
powers  of  hell:  "  Like  lions  breathing  forth  fire  should 
we  leave  that  table,  so  that  we  may  become  terrible  to 
the  devil."4  But  this  is  not  the  case.  The  greater  num 
ber  depart  from  the  altar  always  more  tepid,  more  im 
patient,  proud,  jealous,  and  more  attached  to  self-esteem, 
to  self-interest,  and  to  earthly  pleasures.  "  The  defect 
is  not  in  the  food,"  5  says  Cardinal  Bona.  The  defect 

1  Introd.  p.  2,  ch.  14. 

2  "  Dicendo    Eucharistiam,     omnem    benignitatis    Dei    thesaurum 
aperio." — In  I  Cor.  horn.  24. 

3  "  Nolite  dare  sanctum  canibus,  neque  mittatis  margaritas  vestras 
ante  porcos." — Matt.  vii.  6. 

4  "  Tamquam   leones   ignem    spirantes   ab   ilia  mensa    recedamus. 
facti  diabolo  terribiles." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  61. 

5  "  Defectus    non    in   cibo  est,    sed    in    edentis    dispositione  " — De 
Sacr.  M.  c.  6,  §  6, 


214  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

does  not  arise  from  the  food  that  they  take  on  the  altar; 
for,  as  St.  Mary  Magdalene  de  Pazzi  used  to  say,  that 
food  taken  once  would  be  sufficient  to  make  them  saints, 
but  it  arises  from  the  little  preparation  that  they  make 
for  the  celebration  of  Mass. 

Preparation  for  Mass  is  twofold:  remote  and  proxi 
mate. 

The  remote  preparation  consists  in  the  pure  and  vir 
tuous  life  that  a  priest  should  lead  in  order  to  celebrate 
worthily.  If  God  required  purity  in  the  priests  of  the 
Old  Law  because  they  had  to  carry  the  sacred  vessels, 
Be  ye  clean,  you  that  carry  the  vessels  of  the  Lord?  how 
much  greater  should  be  the  purity  and  sanctity  of  the 
priest  who  has  to  carry  in  his  hands  and  in  his  body  the 
Incarnate  Word,  says  Peter  de  Blois!2  But  to  be  pure 
and  holy  it  is  not  enough  for  the  priest  to  be  exempt 
from  mortal  sins:  he  must  be  also  free  from  venial  sins 
that  are  fully  deliberate;  otherwise  he  shall  have  no 
part  with  Jesus  Christ.  "  Let  no  one,"  says  St.  Bernard, 
"  disregard  little  faults,  for  thus  it  was  said  to  Peter, 
that  unless  Christ  purifies  of  them,  we  shall  have  no 
part  in  Christ."5  Hence  all  the  actions  and  words  of 
the  priest  who  wishes  to  celebrate  Mass  must  be  holy, 
and  serve  to  prepare  him  for  the  worthy  celebration  of 
the  sacred  mysteries. 

For  the  immediate  preparation,  mental  prayer  is,  in  the 
first  place,  necessary.  How  can  the  priest  celebrate 
Mass  with  devotion  without  having  first  made  mental 
prayer?  The  Venerable  John  d'Avila  used  to  say  that 
a  priest  should  make  mental  prayer  for  an  hour  or,  at 
least,  half  an  hour,  before  Mass.  I  would  be  content 

1  "  Mundamini,  qui  fertis  vasa  Domini." — Is.  Hi.  n. 

2  "  Quarito  mundiores  esse  oportet,  qui    in  manibus  et  in  corpore 
portant  Christum." — Epist.  123. 

3  "  Haec  nemo   contemnat,  quoniam  ut  audivit   Petrus   nisi  laverit 
ea  Christus,  non  habebimus  partem  cum  eo." — S.  in  Ccena  Dom. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  215 

with  half  an  hour,  or,  and  for  some,  with  even  a  quarter 
of  an  hour;  but  a  quarter  is  too  little.  There  are  so 
many  beautiful  books  containing  meditations  prepara 
tory  to  Mass,  but  who  makes  use  of  them  ?  It  is  through 
neglect  of  meditation  that  we  see  so  many  Masses  said 
without  devotion  and  with  irreverence.  The  Mass  is  a 
representation  of  the  Passion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Hence 
Pope  Alexander  I.  justly  said  that  in  the  Mass  we  should 
always  commemorate  the  Passion  of  our  Lord.1  And 
before  him  the  Apostle  said:  For  as  often  as  you  shall  eat 
this  bread  and  drink  the  chalice,  yon  shall  show  the  death  of 
the  Lord  until  He  come?  According  to  St.  Thomas,3  the 
Redeemer  has  instituted  the  most  holy  sacrament  that 
we  might  always  have  a  lively  remembrance  of  the  love 
that  he  has  shown  us,  and  of  the  great  benefits  that  he 
obtained  for  us  by  offering  himself  in  sacrifice  on  the 
cross.  But  if  all  should  continually  remember  the  Pas 
sion  of  Jesus  Christ,  how  much  more  should  the  priest 
reflect  on  it  when  he  goes  to  renew  on  the  altar,  though 
in  a  different  manner,  the  same  sacrifice  which  the  Son 
of  God  offered  on  the  cross  ! 

Moreover,  even  though  he  had  made  his  meditation, 
the  priest  should  before  he  begins  Mass  always  recollect 
himself  at  least  for  a  short  time,  and  consider  what  he 
is  going  to  do.  The  Council  of  Milan,  in  the  time  of 
St.  Charles,  ordained  that  all  priests  should  do  so.4  In 
entering  the  sacristy  to  celebrate  Mass  the  priest  should 
take  leave  of  all  worldly  thoughts,  and  say  with  St. 
Bernard:  "  Ye  cares,  solicitudes,  earthly  troubles,  remain 

"  Inter  Missarum  solemnia,  semper  passio  Domini  miscenda  est, 
ut  ejus,  cujus  corpus  et  sanguis  conficitur,  passio  celebretur."— 
Epist.  i. 

2  "  Quotiescumque   enim   manducabitis    Panem    hunc,   et  Calicem 
bibetis,  mortem  Domini  annuntiabitis." — i  Cor.  xi.  26. 

3  Offic.  Corp.  Chr. 

4  "Antequam  celebrent,   se  colligant,   et  orantes  mentem  in  tanti 
ministerii  cogitatione  defigant," — Const,  p.  2,  n.  5. 


2 1 6  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n 

here:  let  me  go  freely  to  my  God,  with  all  my  intelli 
gence  and  with  all  my  heart,  and  when  we  have  adored 
we  shall  return  to  you;  we  shall  return,  alas!  and  we 
shall  return  too  soon."  '  In  a  letter  to  St.  Jane  Chantal, 
St.  Francis  de  Sales  said:  When  I  turn  to  the  altar  to 
begin  Mass,  I  lose  sight  of  everything  on  this  earth. 
Hence,  during  the  celebration  of  Mass,  the  priest  should 
take  leave  of  all  worldly  thoughts,  and  should  think 
only  of  the  great  action  that  he  is  going  to  perform, 
and  of  the  heavenly  bread  he  is  going  to  eat  at  the 
divine  table.  When  thou  shalt  sit  to  eat  with  a  prince, 
says  Solomon,  consider  diligently  what  is  set  before  thy 
face.2  Let  him  consider  that  he  is  going  to  call  from 
heaven  to  earth  the  Incarnate  Word;  to  treat  with 
him  familiarly  on  the  altar;  to  offer  him  again  to 
the  eternal  Father;  and  finally  to  partake  of  his 
sacred  flesh.  In  preparing  to  celebrate,  Father  John 
d'Avila  would  endeavor  to  excite  his  fervor  by  say 
ing:  "I  am  now  going  to.  consecrate  the  Son  of  God, 
to  hold  him  in  my  hands,  to  converse  and  treat  with 
him,  and  to  receive  him  into  my  heart." 

The  priest  should  also  consider  that  he  ascends  the 
altar  to  perform  the  office  of  intercessor  for  all  sinners, 
says  St.  Laurence  Justinian.3  Thus  the  priest  on  the 
altar  stands  between  God  and  men,  presents  their  peti 
tions,  and  obtains  for  them  the  divine  graces,  says  St. 
Chrysostom.4  It  is  for  this  reason,  says  St.  Thomas, 

1  "Curse,  sollicitudines,  servitutes,  exspectate  me  hie,  donee  ego 
cum  puero,  ratio  cum  intelligentia,  usque  illuc  properantes,  postquam 
adoraverimus,  revertamur  ad  vos;  revertemur  enim,  et,  heu  !  rever- 
temur  quam  citissime." — De  Antore  Dei,  c.  i. 

"2  "  Quando  sederis  ut  comedas  cum  principe,  diligenter  attende 
quae  apposita  sunt  ante  faciem  tuam." — Prov.  xxiii.  i. 

3  "  Mediatoris  gerit  officium;  propterea  delinquentium  omnium  debet 
esse  precator." — Serm.  dc  Euchar. 

4  "  Medius  stat  Sacerdos    inter  Deum  et  naturam   humanam,  illinc 
venientia  beneficia  ad  nos  deferens," — In  fsaiatn,  horn.  5. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  2 1  7 

that  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar  is  called  the  Mass:  "On 
this  account  it  is  called  Mass,  because  the  priest  sends 
his  prayers  to  God  through  the  angel,  and  the  people 
send  them  through  the  priest."  In  the  Old  Law  the 
priest  was  permitted  to  enter  the  holy  of  holies  only 
once  in  the  year;  but  now  every  priest  is  allowed  to 
immolate  every  day  the  Lamb  of  God,  in  order  to  obtain 
the  divine  graces  for  himself  and  the  entire  people, 
says  St.  Laurence  Justinian.2  Hence,  according  to  St. 
Bonaventure,  in  going  to  celebrate,  a  priest  should  pro 
pose  to  himself  three  ends:  to  honor  God,  to  com 
memorate  the  Passion  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  obtain 
graces  for  the  whole  Church.3 


III. 

The  Reverence  and  the  Devotion  with  which  the  Priest  should 
Celebrate  Mass. 

Secondly,  it  is  necessary  to  celebrate  Mass  with  rev 
erence  and  devotion.  It  is  well  known  that  the  mani 
ple  was  introduced  for  the  purpose  of  wiping  away  the 
tears  of  devotion  that  flowed  from  the  eyes  of  the  priest; 
for  in  former  times  priests  wept  continually  during  the 
celebration  of  Mass.  It  has  been  already  said  that  a 
priest  on  the  altar  represents  the  very  person  of  Jesus 
Christ,  says  St.  Cyprian.4  There  he  says  in  the  person 
of  Jesus  Christ,  hoc  est  corpus  mcum:  hie  est  calix  sanguinis 

"  Propter  hoc  Missa  nominatur,  quia  per  Angelum  Sacerdos  preees 
ad  Deum  mittit,  sicut  populus  ad  Sacerdotem." — P.  3,  q.  83,  a.  4. 

"  Ipsis  profecto  Sacerdotibus  licet,  non  tantum  semel  in  anno,  ut 
olim,  sed  diebus  singulis  introire  Sancta  Sanctorum,  et  tarn  pro  ipsis 
quam  pro  populi  reconciliatione,  offerre  Hostiam." — De  Inst.  prcel.  c. 
10. 

3  "  Tria  sunt,  quae celebraturus  intenderedebet,  scilicet:  Deum  colere, 
Christi  mortem  memorari,  et  totam  Ecclesiam  juvare."—  De  Pra>p.  ad 
M.  c.  9. 

4  "  Sacerdos  vice  Christi  vcre  fungitur."  —  Epist.  ad  Gzcil. 


2 1 8  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

met.  But,  O  God!  it  would  be  necessary  to  weep,  and 
even  to  shed  tears  of  blood,  at  the  manner  in  which 
many  priests  celebrate  Mass.  It  excites  compassion  to 
see  the  contempt  with  which  some  priests  and  religious, 
and  even  priests  of  the  reformed  Orders,  treat  Jesus 
Christ  on  the  altar.  Observe  with  what  kind  of  atten 
tion  certain  priests  celebrate  Mass.  I  hope  their  num 
ber  is  small.  Of  them  we  may  well  say  what  Clement 
of  Alexandria  said  of  the  pagan  priests,  that  they  turned 
heaven  into  a  stage,  and  God  into  the  subject  of  the 
comedy.1  But  why  do  I  say  a  comedy  ?  Oh!  how  great 
would  be  their  attention  if  they  had  to  recite  a  part  in 
a  comedy  !  But  with  what  sort  of  attention  do  they 
celebrate  Mass?  Mutilated  words;  genuflexions  that 
appear  to  be  acts  of  contempt  rather  than  of  reverence; 
benedictions  which  I  know  not  what  to  call.  They 
move  and  turn  on  the  altar  in  a  disrespectful  manner; 
they  confound  the  words  with  the  ceremonies  which 
they  perform  before  the  time  prescribed  by  the  rubrics, 
although  these  rubrics  are,  according  to  the  true  opin 
ion,  all  preceptive.  For  St.  Pius  V.  in  the  Bull  inserted 
in  the  Missal  commands  us  "  strictly,  by  virtue  of  holy 
obedience,"2  to  celebrate  Mass  according  to  the  rubrics 
of  the  Missal:  "According  to  the  rite,  mode,  and  norm 
prescribed  in  the  Missal."  :  Hence  he  who  violates  the 
rubrics  cannot  be  excused  from  sin,  and  he  who  is 
guilty  of  a  grievous  neglect  of  them  cannot  be  excused 
from  mortal  sin. 

'All  arises  from  an  anxiety  to  have  the  Mass  soon 
finished.  Some  say  Mass  with  as  much  haste  as  if  the 
walls  were  about  to  fall,  or  as  if  they  expected  to  be 

1  "O  impietatem!  scenam  coelum  fecistis,  et  Deus  vobis  factus  est 
actus." — Or.  ad  Gent. 

'2  "  Districte,  in  virtute  sanctae  obedientiae." 

3  "  Juxta  ritum,  modum,  ac  normam,  quae  per  Missale  hoc  a  nobis 
nunc  traditur." 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  2 1 9 

attacked  by  pirates  without  getting  time  to  fly  away. 
Some  priests  spend  two  hours  in  useless  conversation, 
or  in  treating  of  worldly  affairs,  and  are  all  haste  in 
celebrating  Mass.  As  they  begin  the  Mass  without  rev 
erence,  so  they  proceed  to  consecrate,  to  take  Jesus 
Christ  in  their  hands,  and  to  communicate  with  as  much 
irreverence  as  if  the  holy  sacrament  were  common 
bread.  They  should  be  told  what  the  Venerable  John 
d'Avila  said  one  day  to  a  priest  who  celebrated  with 
haste  and  irreverence:  "  For  God's  sake  treat  him  better, 
for  he  is  the  Son  of  a  good  Father." 

The  Lord  commanded  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law  to 
tremble  through  reverence  in  approaching  his  sanctuary: 
Reverence.  My  sanctuary?  And  still  we  see  scandalous 
irreverence  in  priests  of  the  New  Law  while  they  stand 
at  the  altar  in  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ;  while  they 
converse  with  him,  take  him  in  their  hands,  offer  him  in 
sacrifice,  and  eat  his  flesh.  In  the  Old  Law  the  Lord 
threatened  several  maledictions  against  priests  who 
neglected  the  ceremonies  of  sacrifices,  which  were  but 
figures  of  our  sacrifice.  But  if  Thou  wilt  not  hear  the 
voice  of  the  Lord  thy  God,  to  keep  .  .  .  all  His  ceremonies, 
....  all  these  curses  shall  come  upon  thee;  ....  cursed 
shalt  thou  be  in  the  city,  cursed  in  the  field?  St.  Teresa  used 
to  say:  "  I  would  give  my  life  for  a  ceremony  of  the 
Church."  ;  And  will  a  priest  despise  the  ceremonies  of 
the  holy  Mass  ?  Suarez  4  teaches  that  the  omission  of 
any  ceremony  prescribed  in  the  Mass  cannot  be  excused 
from  sin;  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  many  theologians,  that 
a  notable  neglect  of  the  ceremonies  may  be  a  mortal  sin. 

1  "  Pavete  ad  Sanctuarium  meum." — Lev.  xxvi.  2. 

2  "  Quod  si  audire  nolueris  vocem   Domini   Dei   tui,    ut  custodias 
.   .   .  caeremonias,  .   .   .  venient   super   te    omnes    maledictiones    istae. 
.   .   .   Maledictus  eris  in  civitate,  maledictus  in  agro." — Deut.  xxviii.  15. 

3  Life,  ch.  33. 

4  De  Sacram.  d.  84,  s.  2. 


22O  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

In  my  Moral  Theology  '  I  have  shown,  by  the  author 
ity  of  many  theologians,  that  to  celebrate  Mass  in  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  cannot  be  excused  from 
grievous  sin.  This  doctrine  rests  on  two  reasons:  first, 
the  irreverence  that  in  so  short  a  Mass  is  offered  to  the 
holy  sacrifice;  secondly,  the  scandal  that  is  given  to  the 
people. 

As  to  the  reverence  due  to  the  sacrifice,  we  have  ad 
duced  the  words  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  commanding 
priests  to  celebrate  Mass  with  the  greatest  possible  de 
votion:  "  All  industry  and  diligence  are  to  be  applied 
that  it  be  performed  with  the  greatest  possible  outward 
show  of  devotion  and  piety."  2  The  Council  adds,  that  to 
neglect  even  this  external  devotion  due  to  the  sacrifice 
is  a  species  of  impiety:  "  Irreverence  that  can  hardly  be 
separated  from  impiety.  ";  As  the  due  performance  of 
the  ceremonies  constitutes  reverence,  so  to  perform  them 
badly  is  an  irreverence  which,  when  grievous,  is  a  mor 
tal  sin.  And  to  perform  the  ceremonies  with  the  rever 
ence  due  to  so  great  a  sacrifice,  it  is  not  enough  to  go 
through  them;  for  some  who  are  very  quick  in  their 
articulation  and  motions  may  be  able  to  perform  the 
ceremonies  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  but  it  is 
necessary  to  perform  them  with  becoming  gravity, 
which  belongs  intrinsically  to  the  reverence  due  to  the 
Mass. 

To  celebrate  Mass  in  so  short  a  time  is  also  a  grievous 
sin  on  account  of  the  scandal  given  to  the  people  who 
are  present.  And  here  it  is  necessary  to  consider  what  the 
same  Council  of  Trent  says  in  another  place,  that  the 
ceremonies  have  been  instituted  by  the  Church  in  order 


.  mor.  1.  6,  n.  400. 

2  "  Omnem  operam  ponendam  esse,  ut  quanta  maxima  fieri    potest 
exteriori  devotionis  ac  pietatis  specie  peragatur.  "  —  Deer,  de  obs.  in  M. 

3  "  Irreverentia,  quae  ab  impietate  vix  sejuncta  esse   potest."  —  Sess. 
22. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  221 

to  excite  in  the  faithful  the  veneration  and  esteem  due 
to  so  great  a  sacrifice,  and  to  the  most  sublime  mysteries 
that  it  contains.  "The  Church,"  says  the  holy  Coun 
cil,  "  has  employed  ceremonies,  whereby  both  the  maj 
esty  of  so  great  a  sacrifice  might  be  recommended  and 
the  minds  of  the  faithful  be  excited,  by  those  visible 
signs  of  religion  and  piety,  to  the  contemplation  of 
those  most  sublime  things  which  are  hidden  in  this 
sacrifice." 1  But  instead  of  inspiring  reverence,  these 
ceremonies,  when  performed  with  great  haste,  diminish 
and  destroy  the  veneration  of  the  people  for  so  holy  a 
mystery.  Peter  de  Blois  says  that  the  irreverence  with 
which  Mass  is  celebrated  makes  people  think  little  of 
the  most  holy  sacrament.2  This  scandal  cannot  be  ex 
cused  from  mortal  sin.  Hence  in  the  year  1583  the 
Council  of  Tours  ordained  that  priests  should  be  well 
instructed  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  Mass:  "  For  fear  that 
the  people  intrusted  to  their' care,  far  from  entertaining 
veneration  for  our  divine  mysteries,  might  regard  them 
only  with  indifference."  : 

How  can  priests  expect  by  Masses  said  with  such 
irreverence  to  obtain  graces  from  God,  when  during  the 
oblation  of  these  Masses  they  offend  and  dishonor  him 
more  than  they  honor  him  ?  Should  a  priest  not  believe 
in  the  most  holy  sacrament  of  the  altar,  he  would  offend 
God;  but  it  is  a  still  greater  offence  to  believe  in  it,  and  to 
celebrate  Mass  without  due  reverence,  and  thus  make 
the  people  who  are  present  lose  their  veneration  for  the 

1  "  Ecclesia  caeremonias  adhibuit,  quo  et  majestas  tanti  Sacrificii  com- 
mendaretur,  et  mentes  fidelium,  per  haec  visibilia  religionis   signa,  ad 
rerum  altissimarum ,  quae  in  hoc  Sacrificio  latent,  contemplationem  ex- 
citarentur." — Sess.  22,  De  Sacrif.  M.  c.  5. 

2  "  Ex  inordinata   et    indisciplinata   multitudine    Sacerdotum,   hodie 
datur  ostentui  nostrae  redemptionis  venerabile  Sacramentum." — Epist. 
123. 

3  "  Ne  populum  sibi  commissum  a  devotione  potius  revocent,  quam 
ad  sacrorum  mysteriorum  venerationem  invitent." 


222  Material  for  Instructions '.          [PART  n. 

holy  sacrament.  In  the  beginning  the  Jews  respected 
Jesus  Christ,  but  when  they  saw  him  despised  by  their 
priests  they  lost  their  esteem  for  him,  and  in  the  end 
joined  in  the  cry  of  the  priests:  "Away  with  this  man; 
crucify  him!"  J  And  in  like  manner,  seculars,  seeing  a 
priest  treat  the  Mass  with  such  irreverence,  lose  their 
respect  and  veneration  for  it.  A  Mass  said  with  rever 
ence  excites  devotion  in  all  who  are  present  at  it;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  a  Mass  celebrated  with  irreverence 
destroys  devotion  and  even  faith  in  those  that  are  pres 
ent.  A  religious  of  high  reputation  told  me  that  a  cer 
tain  heretic  had  resolved  to  renounce  his  errors,  but 
having  been  afterwards  present  at  a  Mass  said  without 
reverence,  he  went  to  the  bishop  and  said  that  he  no 
longer  intended  to  abjure  his  heresy,  because  he  felt 
convinced  that  priests  who  celebrated  Mass  in  such  a 
manner  did  not  sincerely  believe  in  the  truth  of  the 
Catholic  Church;  and  added:  "  If  I  were  Pope,  and  knew 
that  a  priest  said  Mass  with  irreverence,  I  would  com 
mand  him  to  be  burned  alive."  After  these  words  he 
withdrew,  resolved  to  continue  in  his  heresy. 

But  some  priests  say  that  seculars  complain  when  the 
Mass  is  long.  Then  I  ask:  Shall  the  want  of  devotion  in 
seculars  be  the  rule  for  the  respect  due  to  the  Mass? 
Besides,  if  all  priests  said  Mass  with  becoming  reverence 
and  gravity,  seculars  would  feel  the  veneration  due  to 
so  great  a  sacrifice,  and  would  not  complain  of  being 
obliged  to  spend  half  an  hour  in  attending  Mass. 
But  because  Masses  are  frequently  so  short,  and  so  little 
calculated  to  excite  devotion,  seculars,  after  the  example 
of  priests,  attend  Mass  with  indevotion  and  with  little 
faith;  and  when  they  find  that  it  lasts  longer  than  half 
an  hour,  they,  on  account  of  the  bad  habit  that  they 
have  contracted,  grow  weary  and  begin  to  complain; 
and  though  they  spend  without  tediousness  several 
1  "  Tolle,  tolle,  crucifige  eum  !" 


INSTR.  i.)  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  223 

hours  at  play,  or  in  the  street,  to  pass  the  time,  they  feel 
it  tedious  and  fatiguing  to  spend  half  an  hour  in  hear 
ing  Mass.  Of  this  evil,  priests  are  the  cause.  To  you^  O 
priests,  that  despise  My  name,  and  have  said:  Wherein  have 
we  depised  Thy  name  ?  .  .  .  In  that  you  say:  The  table  of  the 
Lord  is  contemptible.1  .  The  want  of  reverence  with  which 
many  priests  celebrate  Mass  is  the  cause  that  it  is 
treated  with  contempt  by  others. 

Poor  priests!  Having  heard  that  a  priest  died  after 
celebrating  his  first  Mass,  the  Venerable  Father  John 
d'Avila  said:  "  Oh  what  a  terrible  account  shall  he  have 
to  render  to  God  for  his  first  Mass!"  But  what  should 
Father  d'Avila  say  of  priests  who  have  for  thirty  or 
forty  years  said  Mass  with  haste  and  irreverence,  so  as 
to  scandalize  all  that  were  present  at  it  ?  And  how,  I 
ask  again,  can  such  priests  propitiate  the  Lord  and 
obtain  his  graces,  when  by  celebrating  in  such  a  man 
ner  they  insult  rather  than  honor  him  ?  "  Since  every 
sin,"  says  Pope  Julius,  "  is  wiped  out  by  the  holy  sacri 
fice,  what  would  be  offered  to  the  Lord  in  atonement 
of  sin  if  in  offering  the  sacrifice  sin  is  committed  ?"  2 
Miserable  priests!  and  miserable  the  bishop  who  per 
mits  such  priests  to  celebrate.  For,  as  the  Council  of 
Trent  prescribes,  bishops  are  bound  to  prevent  all  irrev 
erences  in  the  celebration  of  Mass:  "The  holy  synod 
decrees  that  the  ordinary  bishops  of  places  shall  take 
diligent  care  and  be  bound  to  prohibit  irreverence, 
which  can  hardly  be  separated  from  impiety."  :  Mark 

1  "  Ad  vos,  o  Sacerdotes,  qui  despicitis  nomen  meum,  et  dixistis:  In 
quo  despeximus  nomen  tuum  ?  .   .   .   In  eo  quod  dicitis:  Mensa  Domini 
despecta  est." — Mai.  i.  6. 

2  "  Cum  omne  crimen   sacrifices  deleatur,  quid   pro  delictorum  ex- 
piatione  Domino  dabitur,  quando  in  ipsa  sacrificii  oblatione  erratur?"- 
Cap.  Cum  omne,  de  Consecr.  dist.  2. 

3  "  Decernit  sancta  synodus,  ut  Ordinarii  locorum  eaomnia  prohibere 
sedulo   curent   ac   teneantur,    quse  irreverentia   (quae   ab  impietate  vix 
sejuncta  esse  potest)  induxit." — Sess.  22,  Deer,  de  obs.  in  M. 


224  Material  for  Instructions.          [PARTII. 

the  words,  shall  take  diligent  care  and  be  bound ;  they  are 
bound  to  suspend  the  priest  who  celebrates  without  due 
reverence.  And  this  they  are  obliged  to  do  even  with 
regard  to  regulars;  for  in  this  every  bishop  is  constituted 
a  delegate  of  the  Apostolic  See,  and  is  therefore  bound 
to  seek  for  information  regarding  1,he  manner  in  which 
Mass  is  celebrated  in  his  diocese. 

And  let  us,  dearly  beloved  priests,  endeavor  to  amend, 
if  we  have  hitherto  offered  this  great  sacrifice  with  a 
want  of  reverence  and  devotion.  Let  us,  at  least  from 
this  day  forward,  repair  the  evil  we  have  done.  Let  us, 
in  preparing  for  Mass,  reflect  on  the  nature  of  the  action 
that  we  are  going  to  perform:  in  celebrating  Mass  we 
perform  an  action  the  most  sublime  and  holy  that  man 
can  perform.  Ah,  what  blessings  does  a  Mass,  said  with 
devotion,  bring  on  him  who  offers  it,  and  on  those  that 
hear  it !  With  regard  to  the  priest  who  offers  it,  the 
Disciple  writes:  "  Prayer  is  more  quickly  heard  when 
recited  in  the  presence  of  a  priest  saying  Mass."  '  *  Now, 
if  God  hears  more  speedily  the  prayers  which  a  secular 
offers  in  the  presence  of  a  priest  celebrating  Mass,  how 
much  more  readily  will  he  hear  the  prayers  of  the  priest 
himself  if  he  celebrates  with  devotion  !  He  who  offers 
the  holy  Mass  every  day  with  devotion  shall  always  re 
ceive  new  lights  and  new  strength  from  God.  Jesus 

1  "Oratio  citius  exauditur  in  ecclesia  in  praesentia  Sacerdotis  cele- 
brantis." 

*  Such  is  the  citation  given  by  our  author,  but  here  is  what  we  read 
in  the  sermon  mentioned  as  of  John  Herold,  called  The  Disciple,  speak 
ing  of  the  fruits  of  Mass  granted  to  him  that  hears  it:  "  Oratio  tua  citius 
exauditur  in  ecclesia  in  praesentia  Dei,  et  etiam  oratio  Sacerdotis  cele- 
brantis;  quia  quilibet  Sacerdos  in  qualibet  Missa  tenetur  orare  pro  cir- 
cumstantibus." — De  Sanctis,  s.  48.  (Prayer,  as  well  as  the  prayer  of 
the  priest  celebrating,  is  more  quickly  heard  in  the  church  in  the  presence 
of  God ;  because  every  priest  is  obliged  at  every  Mass  to  pray  for  those 
that  are  present.) — ED. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  225 

Christ  will  always  infuse  increased  knowledge  and  con 
solation;  he  will  encourage  him,  and  grant  him  the 
graces  that  he  desires.  A  priest  may  feel  assured,  par 
ticularly  after  the  consecration,  that  he  shall  receive 
from  Jesus  Christ  all  the  graces  he  asks.  The  Venerable 
Father  D.  Anthony  de  Colellis,  of  the  Congregation  of 
the  Pious  Workers,  used  to  say:  "When  I  celebrate  and 
hold  Jesus  Christ  in  my  hands  I  obtain  whatsoever  I 
wish  for."  With  regard  to  him  who  celebrates,  and  to 
those  that  hear  Mass,  it  is  related  in  the  life  of  St.  Peter 
of  Alcantara  that  the  Mass  that  he  so  devoutly  cele 
brated  produced  more  fruit  than  all  the  sermons 
preached  in  the  province  in  which  he  lived.  The  Coun 
cil  of  Rhodes  commanded  priests  to  show  their  faith 
and  devotion  towards  Jesus  Christ  by  pronouncing  the 
words  with  piety,  and  performing  the  ceremonies  with 
reverence  and  devotion  towards  Jesus  Christ,  who  is 
present  in  the  Mass.1  The  external  deportment,  says 
St.  Bonaventure,  is  what  shows  the  interior  dispositions 
of  the  celebrant.2  And  here  let  us  call  to  mind,  in  pass 
ing,  the  command  of  Innocent  III.:  "We  also  command 
that  the  oratories,  vases,  corporals,  and  vestments  should 
be  kept  clean;  for  it  seems  to  be  absurd  to  neglect  in  so 
holy  actions  what  would  be  unbecoming  in  profane 
actions."1  O  God!  the  Pontiff  has  too  much  reason 
to  speak  in  this  manner;  for  some  priests  have  no  re 
pugnance  to  celebrate  with  corporals,  purificators,  and 
chalices  which  they  could  not  bear  to  use  at  table. 

1  "  Actio  et  pronuntiatio  ostendat  fidem  et  intentionem  quam  (Sacer- 
dos)  habere  debet  de  Christi  et  Angelorum  in  Sacrificio  praesentia." 

'2  "  Intrinsecos  motus  gestus  exterior  attestatur.   — Spec.  disc.  p.  2,  c.  I. 

3  "  Prsecipimus  quoque  ut  oratoria,  vasa,  corporalia,  et  vestimenta, 
munda,  et  nitida  conserventur;  nimis  enim  videtur  absurdum  in  sacris 
sordes  negligere,  quae  dedecerent  etiam  in  profanis." — Tit.  44,  can.  i, 
Relinqui. 
15 


226  Material  for  Instructions.         CPARTII. 


IV. 
Thanksgiving  after  Mass. 

In  the  third  place,  after  Mass  thanksgiving  is  neces 
sary.  The  thanksgiving  should  terminate  only  with  the 
day.  St.  John  Chrysostom  says  that  for  every  trifling 
favor  that  they  confer  upon  us  men  expect  that  we 
should  show  our  gratitude  by  making  some  return. 
How  much  more  grateful  should  we  be  to  God,  who 
expects  no  recompense  for  his  gifts,  but  wishes  us  to 
thank  him  solely  for  our  welfare  ! '  If,  continues  the 
saint,  we  are  not  able  to  thank  the  Lord  as  much  as  he 
deserves,  let  us  at  least  thank  him  as  much  as  we  can. 
But  what  a  misery  to  see  so  many  priests  who,  after 
Mass,  say  a  few  short  prayers  in  the  sacristy,  without 
attention  or  devotion,  and  then  begin  to  speak  on  use- 
ess  subjects  or  on  worldly  business,  or  perhaps  leave 
the  church  immediately  after  Mass,  and  carry  Jesus 
Christ  into  the  street  !  They  should  be  treated  in  the 
manner  in  which  Father  John  d'Avila  once  acted  toward 
a  priest  who  left  the  church  immediately  after  celebrat 
ing  Mass.  He  sent  two  ecclesiastics  with  lighted  torches 
to  accompany  him;  when  asked  by  the  priest  why  they 
followed  him,  they  answered:  "We  accompany  the 
most  Holy  Sacrament  which  you  carry  in  your  breast." 
To  such  priests  we  may  well  apply  the  words  of  St. 
Bernard  to  the  Archdeacon  Fulcone:  "How  is  it  pos 
sible  that  you  so  quickly  grow  tired  of  Christ?"2  O 
God  !  how  can  you  become  so  soon  weary  of  the  com 
pany  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  within  you? 

So  many  books  of  devotion  exhort  thanksgiving  after 

1  "Si   homines    parvum    beneficium   pnestiterint,  exspectant  a  nobis 
gratitudinem;  quanto  magis  id  nobis  faciendum  in  iis  quae  a  Deoaccepi- 
mus,  qui  hoc  solum  ob  nostrum  utilitatem  vult  fieri?" — /;/  Gen,  horn.  26. 

2  "  Heu  !  quomodo  Christum  tarn  cito  fastidis?" — Epist.  2. 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  227 

Mass;  but  how  many  priests  make  it?  It  is  easy  to 
point  to  those  who  practise  it.  Some  make  mental 
prayer,  recite  many  vocal  prayers,  but  spend  little  or 
no  time  with  Jesus  Christ  after  Mass.  They  might  at 
least  continue  in  prayer  as  long  as  the  consecrated 
species  remain  within  their  breast.  Father  John  d'Avila 
used  to  say  that  we  ought  to  set  great  value  on  the  time 
after  Mass;  he  ordinarily  spent  two  hours  in  recollection 
with  God  after  celebrating  Mass. 

After  Communion  the  Lord  dispenses  his  graces  most 
abundantly.  St.  Teresa  said  that  then  Jesus  Christ  re 
mains  in  the  soul  as  on  a  throne  of  grace,  and  says  to 
her:  "What  do  you  wish  that  I  should  do  for  you  ?"  ' 
Besides,  it  is  necessary  to  know  that,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  Suarez,2  Gonet,3  and  many  other  theologians, 
the  more  the  soul  disposes  herself  by  good  acts,  while 
the  consecrated  species  remain,  the  greater  the  fruit  she 
derives  from  the  holy  Communion.  For,  as  the  Council 
of  Florence4  teaches,  this  sacrament  has  been  instituted 
in  the  form  of  food,  and  therefore  as  the  longer  earthly 
food  remains  in  the  stomach  the  more  nutriment  it 
gives  to  the  body  so  the  longer  this  heavenly  food  con 
tinues  in  the  body  the  more  it  nourishes  the  soul  with 
grace,  provided  there  be  corresponding  dispositions  in 
the  communicant.  This  increase  of  grace  is  the  more 
confidently  to  be  expected,  because  during  that  time 
every  good  act  has  greater  value  and  merit;  for  the  soul 
is  then  united  with  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  himself  has  said: 
He  that  eateth  My  flesh,  and  drinketh  My  blood,  abideth  in 
Me,  and  I  in  him*  And  according  to  St.  John  Chrysos- 


1  "  Quid  vis  ut  tibi  faciam  ?" 

2  De  Sacram.  disp.  63,  sect.  7. 


3  Man.   Thorn,  p.  3,  tr.  4,  c.  9. 

4  Deer,  ad  Arm. 

6  "Qui  manducat  meam  carnem,  et  bibit  meum  sanguinem,  in  me 
manet,  et  ego  in  illo."— -John,  vi.  57. 


228  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

torn,  the  soul  is  then  made  one  thing  with  Jesus  Christ.' 
Hence,  good  acts  are  then  more  meritorious,  because 
they  are  performed  by  the  soul  while  she  is  united  with 
Jesus  Christ. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  St.  Bernard  tells  us  that  the 
Lord  will  not  lose  his  graces  by  giving  them  to  the  un 
grateful.2  Let  us  then  remain,  at  least  for  half  an  hour, 
with  Jesus  Christ  after  Mass  ;  or  at  least  for  a  quarter. 
But,  O  God  !  a  quarter  of  an  hour  is  too  little.  We 
should  remember  that  from  the  day  of  his  ordination 
the  priest  belongs  no  longer  to  himself,  but  to  God,  says 
St.  Ambrose.3  And  before  him  God  himself  said  the 
same:  They  offer  the  burnt-offering  of  the  Lord,  and  the 
bread  of  their  God,  and  therefore  they  shall  be  holy,' 

V. 
The  Priest  who  Abstains  from  saying  Mass. 

Some  abstain  through  humility  from  the  celebration 
of  Mass.  A  word  on  this  subject.  To  abstain  from  say 
ing  Mass  through  humility  is  a  good  act,  but  it  is  not 
the  most  perfect:  acts  of  humility  give  God  a  finite 
honor,  but  the  Mass  gives  him  infinite  honor,  because 
this  honor  is  offered  by  a  divine  person.  Attend  to  the 
words  of  Venerable  Bede.  "  A  priest  who  without  an 
important  reason  omits  to  say  Mass  robs  the  Blessed 
Trinity  of  glory,  the  angels  of  joy,  sinners  of  pardon, 
the  just  of  divine  assistance,  the  souls  in  purgatory  of 
refreshment,  the  Church  of  a  benefit,  and  himself  of  a 
medicine."  ''  St.  Cajetan,  while  in  Naples,  heard  that  a 

1  "  Ipsa  re  nos  suum  efficit  corpus." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  hom.  60. 

2  "  Numquid  non  perit,  quod  donatur  ingrato?" — /;/  Cant.  s.  51. 

3  "  Verus  minister  altaris,  Deo,  non  sibi,  natus  est." — In  Ps.  118,  s.  8. 

4  "  Incensum  enim  Domini  et  panes  Dei  sui  offerunt,  et  ideo  sancti 
erunt." — Lev.  xxi.  6. 

5  "  Cum   Sacerdos,  non  habens  legitimum   impedimentum,  celebrare 
omittit,  quantum  in  se  est,  privat  Trinitatem  gloria,  Angelos   laetitia, 


INSTR.  i.]  The  Celebration  of  Mass.  229 

Cardinal  in  Rome,  a  particular  friend,  who  was  ac 
customed  to  say  Mass  every  day,  had  begun  to  omit  it 
on  account  of  his  occupations.  The  saint  resolved  to 
go,  and  actually  went  to  Rome,  in  the  burning  heat  of 
summer,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  in  order  to  persuade  his 
friend  to  resume  his  former  custom. 

The  Venerable  John  d'Avila,  as  we  read  in  his  life, 
going  one  day  to  say  Mass  in  a  hermitage,  felt  himsen 
so  feeble  that  he  began  to  despair  of  being  able  to  reach 
the  place,  which  was  at  a  distance,  and  intended  to  omit 
Mass;  but  Jesus  Christ  appeared  to  him  in  the  form  of  3 
pilgrim,  uncovered  his  breast,  showed  him  his  wounds, 
and  particularly  the  wound  in  his  side,  and  said  to  hinr. 
"When  I  was  wounded,  I  felt  more  fatigued  and  feeble 
than  you  are."  He  then  disappeared:  Father  d'Avila 
took  courage,  went  to  the  oratory,  and  celebrated  Mass 

peccatores  venia,  justos  subsidio,   in   purgatorio  existentes  refrigerio 
Ecclesiam  beneficio,  et  seipsum  medicina." — Dt  Pr<zp.  ad  M.  c.  5. 


230  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  11. 


INSTRUCTION    II. 

THE    GOOD    EXAMPLE    THAT    THE    PRIEST    SHOULD    GIVE. 

JESUS  CHRIST  has  instituted  two  orders  in  his  church: 
one,  of  the  simple  faithful;  the  other,  of  ecclesiastics: 
but  with  this  difference,  that  the  former  are  disciples 
and  sheep,  the  latter  are  masters  and  shepherds.  To 
the  laity  St.  Paul  says:  Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to 
them.  For  they  watch  as  being  to  render  an  account  of  your 
souls.1  And  to  ecclesiastics  St.  Peter  has  said:  Feed  the 
flock  of  God  which  is  among  you?  And  in  another  place 
we  read:  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  and  to  the  whole  flock 
wherein  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  placed  you  bishops,  to  rule  the 
church  of  God? 

Hence  St.  Augustine  has  well  said,  that  "  there  is 
nothing  more  difficult,  nothing  more  dangerous,  than 
the  office  of  priest."1  The  difficulty  and  danger  of  the 
office  of  a  priest  arise  precisely  from  his  obligation  to 
lead  a  holy  life,  not  only  by  interior,  but  also  by  exterior 
sanctity,  that  others  may  learn  from  him,  holiness  of 
life.  "  If  the  one  that  is  over  thee  is  good,  he  will  be  thy 
nurse;  if  bad,  he  will  be  thy  tempter,"  writes  the  same 
saint.6  The  Scripture  says  that  in  Jerusalem  the  people 
lived  in  holiness  because  of  the  godliness  of  Onias  the  high- 

1  "Obedite  praepositis  vestris,  et  subjacete  eis;  ipsi  enim  pervigilant, 
quasi  rationem  pro  animabus  vestris  reddituri." — Heb,  xiii.  17. 

2  "  Pascite,  qui  in  vobis  est,  gregem  Dei." — i  Pet.  v.  2. 

3  "  Attendite  vobis  et  universo  gregi,  in  quo  vos  Spiritus  Sanctus 
posuit  episcopus,  regere  Ecclesiam  Dei." — Acts,  xx.  28. 

4  Epist.  21,  E.  B. 

5  "  Bonus  si  fuerit,  qui  tibi  praeest,  nutritor  tuus  est;  malus  si  fuerit, 
tentator  tuus  est,." — Serm.  12,  E.  B. 


INSTR.  ii.]      Good  Example  of  the  Priest.  231 

priest.'  And  according  to  the  Council  of  Trent,  "  The 
integrity  of  those  who  govern  is  the  safety  of  the 
governed.'"  But,  on  the  other  hand,  how  great  the 
havoc,  how  strong  the  temptations,  caused  by  the  bad 
example  of  a  priest !  My  people,  says  the  Lord,  by  the 
mouth  of  the  prophet  Jeremias,  have  been  a  lost  flock;  their 
shepherds  have  caused  them  to  go  astray.'3  "  God,"  writes  St. 
Gregory,  "  suffers  from  no  one  more  than  from  priests 
whom  he  has  appointed  for  the  salvation  of  others,  and 
whom  he  sees  giving  bad  example."1  St.  Bernard  says 
"  that  seculars,  seeing  the  sinful  life  of  the  priest,  think 
no  more  of  amending  their  conduct,  but  begin  to  despise 
the  sacraments,  and  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  the 
next  life."  "Very  many,"  writes  the  holy  Doctor,  "be 
holding  the  wicked  life  of  an  ecclesiastic,  indulge  in 
vices,  despise  the  sacraments,  feel  no  horror  of  hell,  nor 
the  smallest  desire  of  heavenly  things."1  For,  like  the 
man  of  whom  St.  Augustine  writes,  they  say:  "Why  do 
you  correct  me?  Do  not  ecclesiastics  do  what  I  do? 
And  do  you  compel  me  to  abstain  from  it  ?"  c  Our  Lord 
said  to  St.  Bridget:  "  At  the  sight  of  the  bad  example  of 
the  priest  the  sinner  assumes  confidence  in  sinning,  and 
begins  to  boast  of  sins  which  he  before  regarded  as 
shameful."  ''  "  Priests  in  the  Church,"  says  St.  Gregory, 

1  "  Propter  Oniae  pontificis  pietatem." — 2  Much.  iii.  i. 

2  ''  Integritas  praesidentium  salus  est  subditorum." — Scss.  6,  de  Ref. 
c,  i. 

3  ' '  Grex  perditus  factus  est  populus  meus;  pastores  eorum  seduxerunt 
eos." — Jcf.  1'  6. 

4  "  Nullum  majus  prsejudicium,  quam  a  Sacerdotibus,  tolerat  Deus, 
quando  eos,  quos  ad  aliorum  correctionem  posuit,  dare  de  se  exempla 
pravitatis  cernit." — In  Evang.  horn.  17. 

5  "  Plurimi,  considerantes  cleri  sceleratam  vitam,  Sacramenta  despici- 
unt,  vitia  non  evitant,  non  horrent  inferos,  coelestia  minime  concupis- 
cunt." — T.  I.  s.  19,  a.  2,  c.  i. 

6  "  Quid  mihi  loqueris  ?     Ipsi  clerici  non  illud  faciunt,  et  me  cogis  ut 
faciam  ?"— Scrm.  137,  E.  JR. 

1  ''Viso  exemplo  pravo  Sacerdotum,  peccator  fiduciam  peccandi  su.- 


232  Material  for  Instriictions.          [PART  n. 

"are  the  foundations  of  the  Church."  '  When  the  foun 
dations  give  way  the  whole  edifice  falls.  Hence,  in  the 
ordination  of  priests,  the  holy  Church  prays  for  them  in 
the  following  words:  "  May  they  shine  before  others  by 
showing  an  example  of  justice,  constancy,  mercy,  and 
other  virtues."2  Priests  ought  not  only  to  be  holy,  but 
they  should  also  show  forth  sanctity  in  their  lives:  for, 
says  St.  Augustine,  as  a  good  conscience  is  necessary  for 
a  priest  to  save  his  own  soul,  so  he  requires  a  good  repu 
tation  in  order  to  save  his  neighbor;  otherwise,  though 
he  might  be  merciful  and  attentive  to  himself,  he  would 
be  cruel  towards  others,  and  thus  should  bring  himself 
and  them  to  perdition.3  God  has  selected  priests  from 
among  men,  not  only  that  they  may  offer  sacrifices,  but 
also  that  by  the  good  odor  of  their  virtues  they  may 
edify  the  rest  of  the  Church.  He  chose  him  out  of  all  men 
living^  to  offer  sacrifice  to  God,  incense,  and  a  good  savor? 

Priests  are  the  salt  of  the  earth.5  "Then,"  says  the 
Gloss,  "  priests  should  give  a  savor  to  others,  and  render 
them  grateful  to  God,  instructing  them  in  the  practice 
of  virtue,  not  only  by  preaching,  but  still  more  by  the 
example  of  a  holy  life."' 

Priests  are  also  the  light  of  the  world.7  The  priest, 
then,  as  our  divine  Master  proceeds  to  say,  should  shine 
refulgent  among  the  people  by  the  splendor  of  his 

mit,  et  incipit  de  peccato,  quod  prius  putabat  erubescibile,  gloriari." — 
Rev.  1.  4,  c.  132. 

1  "  Sacerdotes  in  Ecclesia,  bases  in  templo." — /;/  Evang.  horn.  17. 

'2  ' '  Justitiam,  constantiam,  misericordiam,  fortitudinem,  caeterasque 
virtutes,  in  se  ostendant;  exemplo  praeeant." 

3  "  Conscientia  tibi,  fama  proximo  tuo;  qui,  fidens  conscientiae  tuae, 
negligit  famam  suam,  crudelis  est." — Serin.  355,  E.  B. 

4  "  Ipsum  elegit  ab  omni  vivente,  offerre  sacrificium  Deo,  incensum, 
et  bonum  odorem." — Ecclns.  xlv.  20. 

5  "  Vos  estis  sal  terroe."— Matt.  v.  14. 

6  "  Condientes  alios  doctrina  et  vitae  exemplo." 
*  "  Vos  estis  lux  mundL" — Matt.  \.  13. 


INSTR.  n.i      Good  Example  of  the  Priest.  233 

virtues,  and  thus  give  glory  to  that  God  who  has  con 
ferred  on  him  an  honor  so  singular  and  sublime.  So, 
said  the  Redeemer,  let  your  light  shine  before  men,  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in 
heaven'  Of  this  obligation  St.  John  Chrysostom  reminds 
priests.  "Therefore,"  says  the  saint,  "has  God  chosen 
us  that  we  may  be  luminaries."'  Pope  Nicholas  has 
written  the  same,  saying  that  priests  are  the  stars  that 
enlighten  the  people  on  every  side.3  "They  are,"  said 
the  Pontiff,  according  to  the  words  of  Daniel,  they  that 
instruct  many  to  justice  shall  shine  as  stars  for  all  eternity, 
"  stars  shedding  light  on  their  neighbors,  far  and  wide."  4 
But,  to  be  a  luminary,  it  is  not  enough  for  the  priest  to 
enlighten  by  his  words:  he  must  also  give  light  by  his 
good  example.  "  For  the  life  of  a  priest,"  as  St.  Charles 
Borromeo  used  to  say,  "  is  precisely  the  beacon  on  which 
seculars,  navigating  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean  and  dark 
ness  of  the  world,  keep  their  eyes  fixed  in  order  to  escape 
destruction."  And  before  him  St.  John  Chrysostom 
said:  "The  priest  ought  to  lead  a  life  of  order,  that  all 
may  look  to  him  as  to  an  excellent  model;  for  God  has 
chosen  us,  that  we  might  be,  as  it  were,  luminaries 
and  teachers  to  others. "!  The  life  of  the  priest  is  the 
light  that  is  placed  on  the  candlestick  to  give  light  to 
all.  Neither  do  men  light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel, 
but  on  a  candlestick,  that  it  may  shine  to  all  that  are  in  the 

1  "  Sic  luceat   lux  vestra  coram  hominibus,  ut  videant  opera  vestra 
bona,  et  glorificent  Patrem  vestrum,  qui  in  coelis  est." — Matt,  v.  16. 

2  "  Idcirco  nos  elegit,  ut  simus  quasi  luminaria." — In 1  Tim.  horn.  10. 

3  "  Stellae    longe    lateque    proximos    illuminantes." — Ep.    ad  Synod. 
Silvan. 

4  "  Fulgebunt  .   .   .  qui  ad  justitiam  erudiunt  multos,  quasi  stellar  in 
perpetuas  aeternitates. " — Dan.  xii.  3. 

5  "  Sacerdos  debet  vitam  habere  compositam,  ut  omnes  in  ilium  veluti 
in  exemplar  excellens  intueantur;  idcirco  enim  Deus  nos  elegit,  ut  simus 
quasi  luminaria  et  magistri  caeterorum." — In  i  Tim.  horn.  10.. 


234  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

house.1  Hence  the  Council  of  Bordeaux  said:  "The  life 
of  clerics  is  so  exposed  to  the  eyes  of  all,  that  all  will  be 
inspired  by  them  to  lead  either  a  good  or  a  bad  life."' 
The  priest,  then,  is  the  light  of  the  world;  but  if  the 
light  be  changed  into  darkness,  what  must  become  of 
the  world  ? 

Priests  are  also,  as  St.  Jerome  calls  them,  the  fathers 
of  Christians.3  "If  then,"  adds  St.  John  Chrysostom, 
"priests  are  the  fathers  of  all,  it  is  their  duty  to  attend 
to  all  their  spiritual  children,  edifying  them  first  by  a 
holy  life,  and  afterwards  by  salutary  instructions."*  If 
he  give  bad  example,  his  spiritual  children  will  imitate 
him.  "What,"  says  Peter  de  Blois,  "  will  a  layman  do 
but  what  he  has  seen  done  by  his  spiritual  father  ? " 5 

Priests  are  also  the  teachers  and  models  of  virtue. 
Our  Saviour  said  to  his  disciples:  As  the  Father  hath  sent 
Me,  I  also  send  you?  As  the  eternal  Father,  then,  sent 
Jesus  Christ  into  the  world  to  be  a  model  for  imitation, 
so  Jesus  Christ  has  placed  priests  in  the  world  to  be 
patterns  of  all  virtues.  This  the  very  words  sacerdos 
and  presbyter  signify.  Sacerdos,  says  Peter  de  Blois, 
"means  one  that  gives  what  is  holy,  for  he  gives  what 
is  holy  of  God,  that  is  the  sacrament;  he  gives  what  is 
holy  for  God,  that  is  a  good  example."  '  Another  author 

1  '   Neque  accendunt  lucernam,  et  ponunt  earn  sub  modio,  sed  super 
candelabrum,  ut  luceat  omnibus  qui  in  domo  sunt." 

2  "  Clerici  vita  omnium  oculis  sic  exposita  est,  ut  inde  bene  vel  male 
vivendi  exempla  duci  soleant." — Anno  1583,  c.  21. 

3  "  Patres  christianorum." 

4  "  Quasi  totius  orbis  pater  Sacerdos  est;  dignum  igitur  est  ut  omnium 
curam  agat." — In  i  Tim.  horn.  6. 

5  "Quid  faciet  laicus,  nisi  quod  patrem  suum  spiritualem  viderit  fa- 
cientem  ?" — Serm.  57. 

6  "  Sicut  misit  me  Pater,  et  ego  mitto  vos." — John,  xx.  21. 

7  "  Sacerdos  dicitur  quasi  sacrum  dans:  dat  enim  sacrum  de  Deo,  id 
est,  praedicationem;  sacrum  Deo,  orationem;  sacrum  Dei,  carnem  et  san- 
guinem;  sacrum  pro  Deo,  vivendi  exemplum." — Scrm.  38. 


INSTR.  ii.]  .    Good  Example  of  the  Priest,  235 

says  that  the  word  presbyter  signifies  "one  who  shows  to 
the  people  (by  word  and  example)  the  way  from  exile 
to  the  kingdom  of  heaven."1  This,  the  Apostle  has 
taught:  In  all  things  show  thyself  an  example,  .  .  .  that  he 
who  is  on  the  contrary  part  may  be  afraid,  having  no  evil  to  say 
of  us?  St.  Peter  Damian  says  that  the  Lord  has  separated 
priests  from  the  laity  that  they  may  observe  a  rule  of 
life  different  from  that  which  the  people  follow.3  And 
from  this  rule  seculars  learn  to  lead  a  life  of  virtue. 
Hence  St.  Peter  Chrysologus  calls  the  priest  "the  form 
of  virtues."4  And,  addressing  a  priest,  St.  John  Chry- 
sostom  has  said:  "Let  the  splendor  of  your  life  be  the 
common  school  and  model  of  virtues."'  This,  as  St. 
Bernard  writes,  the  sacerdotal  ministry  itself  demands.6 
In  order  to  see  the  people  sanctified,  David  prayed  to 
the  Lord  in  the  following  words:  Let  Thy  priests  be  clothed 
with  justice,  and  let  Thy  saints  rejoice?  To  be  clothed  with 
justice,  the  priest  must  give  an  example  of  every  virtue, 
of  zeal,  of  humility,  of  charity,  of  modesty,  etc.  In  a  word, 
St.  Paul  says,  that  we  priests  should,  by  holiness  of  life, 
show  ourselves  to  be  true  ministers  of  the  God  of  holi 
ness.  But  in  all  things  let  its  exhibit  ourselves  as  the  minis 
ters  of  God,  .  .  .  in  chastity,  in  knowledge,  in  long-suffering, 
etc.8  And  before  him  Jesus  Christ  taught  the  same:  If 

1  "Presbyter  dicitur  prsebens  iter,  scilicet  populo,  de  exsilio  hujus 
mundi  ad  patriam  ccelestis  regni." — Gemma  an.  1.  I,  c.  181. 

a  "  In  omnibus  teipsum  praebe  exemplum,  .  .  .  ut  is  qui  ex  adverse 
est,  vereatur,  nihil  habens  malum  dicere  de  nobis." — Tit.  ii.  8. 

z  "  Ut  quid  enim  a  populo  (Sacerdotes)  segregantur,  nisi  ut  divisam  a 
populo  vivendi  regulam  teneant?" — Opiisc,  18,  d.  2,  c.  2. 

4  "  Forma  virtutem." — Serm.  26. 

5  "  Sit   communis  omnibus  schola  exemplarque   virtutum   vitse   tuee 
splendor." — In  Tit.  hom.  4. 

6  "Cathedram  sanctitatis  exigit  ministerium  hoc." 

7  "Sacerdotes  tui  induantur  justitiam,  et  sancti  tui  exsultent." — Ps, 
cxxxi.  g. 

8  "  In  omnibus  exhibeamus  nosmetipsos  sicut  Dei  ministros,  ...   in 
castitate,  in  scientia,  in  longanimitate  .   .,  ." — 2  Cor.  vi.  4. 


236  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

any  man  minister  to  Me,  let  him  follow  Me.1  Hence  priests 
should  copy  in  their  life  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  so 
that,  as  St.  Ambrose  says,  they  may  give  such  edification 
that  every  one  that  beholds  them  may  bear  testimony  to 
their  sanctity,  and  venerate  that  God  who  has  such 
ministers.2  Hence  Minutius  Felix  writes,  that  we  priests 
should  make  ourselves  known  as  priests,  not  by  splendor 
of  dress  nor  by  ornaments  of  the  head,  but  by  modesty 
and  innocence  of  life.3  Priests  are  placed  in  the  world 
to  wash  away  the  stains  of  others.  Hence,  says  St. 
Gregory,  they  must  be  holy,  and  appear  holy.4 

The  priest  is  the  leader  of  the  people  5  says  St.  Peter 
Damian.  But,  according  to  St  Denis,  no  one  should 
dare  to  become  a  guide  to  others  in  what  relates  to 
God,  unless  he  himself  be  made  in  all  things  like  to 
God.6  And  Philip  the  Abbot  said:  "  The  life  of  eccle 
siastics  is  the  form  of  the  laity;  the  former  should  go 
before  as  leaders,  and  the  latter  follow  as  flocks."7  St. 
Augustine  calls  priests,  the  rulers  of  the  earth.8  "  He, 
then,  who  is  placed  over  others  for  their  correction 
must  be  irreprehensible,"  says  Pope  Hormisdas.9  And 

"  Si  quis  mihi  ministrat,  me  sequatur." — John,  xii.  26. 

2  "  Docet  actuum  nostrorum  testem  esse  publicam  existimationem,  ut, 
qui  videt  ministrum  congruis  ornatum  virtutibus  Dominum  veneretur, 
qui  tales  servulos  habeat." — DC  Offic.  1.  i,  c.  50. 

3  "  Nos,  non  notaculo  corporis,  sed  innocentiae  ac  modestiae  signo 
facile  dignoscimus." — Octav.  c.  9. 

4  "Necesse  est  ut  esse  munda  studeat  manus,  quae  diluere  aliorum 
sordes  curat." — Past.  p.  2,  c.  2. 

5  "Sacerdos,  dux  exercitus  Domini." — Opusc.  25,  c.  2. 

6  "  In  divino  omni  non  audendum  aliis  ducem  fieri,  nisi  secundum 
omnem  habitum  suum  factus  sit  deiformissimus  et  Deo  simillimus."- 
De  Eccl.  Hicr.  c.  3. — S.   Thomas,  Suppl.  q.  36,  a.  i. 

1  "  Vita  clericorum  forma  est  laicorum,  ut  illi  tamquam  duces  pro- 
grediantur,  isti  vero  tamquam  gregessequantur." — De  Dignit.  cler,  c.  2. 

8  "  Rectores  terrae." 

9  "  Irreprehensibiles  esse  convenit,  quos    praeesse  necesse  est    cor- 
rigendis." — Ep.  ad  Episc.  Hispan. 


INSTR.  ii.]      Good  Example  of  the  Priest.  237 

according  to  the  Council  of  Pisa,  "  as  ecclesiastics  enjoy 
an  exalted  dignity,  so  they  ought  to  shine  with  the  light 
of  virtues,  and  profess  a  kind  of  life  which  may  excite 
others  to  sanctity."  ]  For,  as  St.  Leo  has  written,  "  The 
integrity  of  those  that  preside  is  the  salvation  of  the 
subjects."  2 

St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa  calls  the  priest  a  teacher  of 
sanctity.3  But  if  the  master  exhibit  pride,  how  can  he 
teach  humility?  If  he  be  vindictive,  how  can  he  incul 
cate  meekness?  "  He,"*says  .St.  Isidore,  "  who  is  ap 
pointed  to  instruct  the  people  must  be  holy  in  all 
things."4  And  if  our  Lord  has  said  to  all:  Be  you  there 
fore,  perfect,  as  also  your  heavenly  Father  is  perfect?  how 
much  more,  says  Salvian,  will  he  demand  perfection 
from  priests,  who  are  to  teach  all  the  people?6  How 
can  he  inflame  others  with  the  love  of  God  unless  he 
shows  by  his  works  that  his  own  heart  burns  with  that 
holy  fire  ?  "  He,"  says  Gregory,  "  who  does  not  burn, 
does  not  inflame  ?"  7  and  St.  Bernard  writes,  that  to  him 
who  loves  not,  the  language  of  love  is  a  strange  and 
barbarous  tongue.8  Hence  St.  Gregory  says  that  the 
priest  who  does  not  give  good  example  will  bring  con- 


1  "  Ecclesiastic},  quemadmodum  eminent  gradu,  sic  lurnine  virtutum 
praelucere  debent,  et  profited  genus  vivendi,  quod  alios  excitet  ad  sanc- 
titatem. " 

2  "Integritas   praesidentium  salus  est  subditorum." — Ep.    ad  Episc. 
A  Jr.  c.  i. 

3  "  Doctor  pietatis." — In  Baptism.   Chr. 

4  "  Qui  in  erudiendis  atque  instituendis  ad  virtutem  populis  praeerit, 
necesse  est  ut  in  omnibus  sanctus  sit." — DC  Off.  Eccl.  1.  2,  c.  5. 

5  "  Estote  ergo  vos  perfecti,  sicut  et  Pater  vester  ccelestis  perfectus 
est." — Matt.  v.  48. 

6  "Si  viris  in  plebe  positis  tam  perfectam  Deus  vivendi  regulam  de- 
dit,  quanto  esse  illos  perfectiores  jubet,  a  quibus  omnes  docendi  sunt 
ut  possint  esse  perfecti!" — Ad  Eccl.  Cat  hoi.  1.  2. 

1  "  Lucerna  quse  non  ardet,  non  accendit." — In  Ezech.  horn.  n. 
8  "  Lingua  amoris,  ei  qui  non  amat,  barbara  est." — In  Cant.  s.  79. 


238  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

tempt  on  his  preaching,1  and  on  all  his  spiritual  func 
tions,  says  St.  Thomas.2  The  Council  of  Trent  ordains 
that  they  only  are  to  be  admitted  to  the  priesthood  who 
are  "conspicuous  for  piety  and  chasteness  of  morals,  as 
that  a  shining  example  of  good  works  and  a  lesson  how 
to  live  maybe  expected  from  them.":  But  observe, 
that  good  example  should  be  first  expected,  and  after 
wards  salutary  instructions;  the  Council  calls  good  ex 
ample  a  perpetual  kind  of  preaching.4  Priests,  then, 
should  preach,  first  by  example,  and  afterwards  by 
words,  "  Their  life,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  must  be  a 
sermon  of  salvation  to  others."  5  And  St.  John  Chry- 
sostom  writes:  "Good  example  gives  forth  a  louder 
sound  than  trumpets,  .  .  .  for  people  pay  more  atten 
tion  to  our  deeds  than  to  our  words."6  Hence  St. 
Jerome  said  to  Nepotianus:  "  Let  not  works  confound 
your  preaching,  lest  when  you  speak  in  the  church  every 
one  should  tacitly  answer,  Why,  then,  do  you  yourself 
not  practise  what  you  preach  ?"  7  St.  Bernard  has  writ 
ten:  "You  will  give  power  to  ytmr  voice  when  people 
see  that  you  have  previously  taken  the  advice  yourself 
before  you  have  given  it  to  others;  for  action  is  more 

1  "  Cujus  vita  despicitur,  restat  ut  ejus  prsedicatio  contemnatur." — In 
Evang.  horn.  12. 

2  "  Et  eadem  ratione,  omnia  spiritualia  exhibita." — Suppl.  q.  36,  a. 

4- 

3  ' '  Ita  pietate  ac  castis  moribus  conspicui,  ut  pneclarum   bonorum 
operum  exemplum  et  vitae  monita  ab  eis  possint  expectari." — Sess.  23, 
de  Ref.  c.  14. 

4  "  Est  perpetuum  praedicandi  genus." 

5  "  Quorum  vita  aliorum  debet  esse  salutis  praedicatio." — Serm.  291, 
E.  B.  app. 

6  "  Bona  exempla  voces  edunt  omni  tuba  clariores." — In  Matt.  horn. 

15- 

1  "  Non  confundant  opera  tua  sermonem  tuum,  ne,  cum  in  ecclesia 
loqueris,  tacitus  quilibet  respondeat:  Cur  ergo  haec,  quaedicis,  ipse  non 
facis  ?" — Ep.  ad  Nepotian. 


INSTR.  ii.]     Good  Example  of  the  Priest.  239 

powerful  than  speaking."  To  persuade  others,  the 
preacher  must  show  that  he  himself  is  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  his  doctrine;  but  how  can  he  evince  such  a  con 
viction  when  his  conduct  is  in  opposition  to  his  preach 
ing  ?  "  He,"  says  the  author  of  the  Imperfect  Work, 
"  who  neglects  to  practise  what  he  teaches,  teaches  not 
others,  but  condemns  himself."  2  The  sermon,  says  St. 
Gregory,  which  is  commended  by  the  life  of  the  preacher 
persuades  and  moves.3  Men  believe  the  eyes  sooner 
than  the  ears,  that  is,  they  are  convinced  more  easily  by 
the  examples  that  they  see  than  by  the  words  that  they 
hear.  "  Since,"  says  an  ancient  Council,  "  men  believe 
the  eyes  rather  than  the  ears,  it  is  necessary  for  a  priest 
to  give  good  example,  as  well  in  dress  as  in  all  his 
actions." " 

Priests  are,  as  the  Council  of  Trent  says,  the  mirrors 
of  the  world,  in  which  all  look  at  themselves,  and  from 
which  they  take  examples  for  the  regulation  of  their  life: 
"  Others  fix  their  eyes  upon  them  as  upon  a  mirror,  and 
derive  from  them  what  they  are  to  imitate." 5  And 
long  before  the  holy  Council,  St.  Gregory  said  the  same: 
"  The  priest  should  shine  before  others  by  good  example, 
for  the  people  see  in  him,  as  in  a  mirror,  what  they  must 
do,  what  they  must  avoid."  G  And  the  Apostle  writes:  We 

1  "  Dabis  voci  tuse  vocem  virtutis,    si,  quod  suades,   priiis  tibi  illud 
cognosceris  persuasisse.     Validior  operis  quam  oris  vox." — In  Cant.  s. 
59- 

2  "  Qui  non  facit  quod  docet,  non  alium  docet,  sed  semetipsum  con- 
demnat." — Horn.  10. 

a  "  Ilia  vox  libentius  auditorum  corda  penetrat,  quam  dicentis  vita 
commendat." — Past.  p.  2,  c.  3. 

"  Quoniam  magis  oculis  quam  auribus  credunt  homines,  necesse  est 
ut  Sacerdos  bonum  praebeat  exemplum,  tarn  in  vestitu  quam  in  reliquis 
actionibus." 

5  "  In  eos  tamquam  in  speculum   reliqui  oculos  conjiciunt,  ex  iisque 
sumunt  quod  imitentur." — Sess.  22,  de  Ref.  c.  I. 

6  "  Decet  Sacerdotem  moribus  clarescere,  quatenus   in  eo,  tamquam 
in  vitae  suae  speculo,  plebs,  et  eligere  quod   sequatur,  et  videre   possit 
quod  corrigat." — Epist.  1    7,  ind.  i,  ep.  32. 


240  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

are  made  a  spectacle  to  the  world,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men.1 
Everything  belonging  to  the  priest  demands  sanctity. 
"  The  clerical  dress,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  the  state  of  life, 
require  of  him  sanctity  of  life."1  According  to  St.  Eu- 
cherius,  priests  bear  the  weight  of  the  whole  world,  that 
is,  they  are  bound  by  their  obligations  to  save  all  souls. 
But  how  are  they  to  save  them  ?  By  the  power  of  their 
sanctity  and  holy  example.3  Hence  the  Council  of  Valen- 
tia  said:  "  By  the  gravity  of  his  dress,  by  his  looks  and 
words,  the  priest  should  show  that  he  is  a  model  of  dis 
cipline  and  modesty."'  The  priest  should  then,  in  the 
first  place,  exhibit  gravity  in  his  dress:  but  can  priests 
give  an  example  of  modesty,  if,  instead  of  wearing  the 
clerical  costume,  they  display  vanity  and  extravagance 
in  their  apparel?  Secondly,  the  priest  should  exhibit 
gravity  in  his  countenance:  in  order  to  set  an  example 
of  modesty,  he  must  keep  his  eyes  cast  down,  not  only 
when  he  is  on  the  altar  and  in  the  church,  but  also  in 
all  places  in  which  there  are  women.  Thirdly,  to  ex 
hibit  gravity  in  his  words,  he  must  carefully  abstain 
from  uttering  certain  worldly  maxims,  and  certain  jests 
that  are  contrary  to  modesty.  The  Fourth  Council  of 
Carthage  ordained  that  the  ecclesiastic  who  indulges  in 
immodest  jests  should  be  suspended  from  his  office.5 
But  you  may  ask,  What  harm  is  there  in  such  jests? 
"Words,"  says  St.  Bernard,  that  are  jests  among  secu 
lars  are  in  the  mouth  of  a  priest  blasphemies  which 

1  "Spectaculum  facti  sumus  mundo,  et  Angelis  et  hominibus." — i 
Cor.  iv.  9. 
"2  "  Clamat  vestisclericalis,  clamat  status  professi  animi  sanctitatem." 

3  "  Hi    onus   totius   orbis    portant   humeris    sanctitatis. " — Horn,    de 
Dedic.  eccl. 

4  "  Sacerdos  de  religione  sua,  in  habitus,  vultus,  acsermonis  gravitate, 
talem  se  exhibere  studeat,  ut  se  formam  discipline  ac  modestiae  infun- 
dat." — Anno  855,  can.  15. 

5  "  Clericus  verbis  turpibus  jocularis  ab  officio  removendus."—  Cap. 
60. 


INSTR.  ii.]      Good  Example  of  the  Priest.  241 

excite  horror.1  The  saint  adds:  "You  have  dedicated 
your  mouth  to  the  Gospel;  but  to  open  it  for  such 
things  is  not  allowed:  to  accustomed  one's  self  to  doing 
so  would  be  a  sacrilege."  ;  St.  Jerome  writes:  "All  that 
does  not  edify  the  hearers  is  dangerous  to  those  that 
say  it."3  Some  things  that  are  trifling  in  seculars  are 
criminal  in  a  priest;  for  every  bad  example  by  which  he 
leads  others  into  sin  is  in  him  a  grievous  transgression. 
"  What  is  for  the  people  only  a  venial  sin,"  says  Peter 
de  Blois,  "  is  criminal  in  the  priest,  because  every  fault 
of  the  shepherd  becomes  mortal  by  the  scandal  that 
accompanies  it."  * 

St.  Gregory  Nazianzen  writes:  "Spots  on  a  garment 
are  more  visible,  the  more  beautiful  the  garment."  5  In  a 
splendid  garment  stains  are  most  conspicuous,  and  pro 
duce  great  deformity. 

It  is  also  necessary  for  the  priest  to  abstain  from  every 
species  of  detraction.  St.  Jerome  says  that  some  re 
nounce  other  vices,  but  they  appear  to  think  it  impos 
sible  to  give  up  the  sin  of  detraction.6  It  is  also  neces 
sary  to  avoid  familiar  intercourse  with  seculars.  The 
conversations  of  seculars  breathe  an  infectious  air, 
which,  as  St.  Basil  says,  gradually  destroys  the  health 
of  the  soul.7  Finally,  the  priest  must  abstain  from  cer 
tain  secular  amusements,  at  which  the  presence  of  an 

1  "  Inter  saeculares,  nugse  sunt;  in  ore  Sacerdotis,  blasphemise." 

2  "  Consecrasti   os   tuum    Evangelic;    talibus   aperire,   illicitum;  as- 
suescere,  sacrilegum." — De  Cons.  1.  2,  c.  13. 

3  "  Omne  quod  non  aedificat,  in  periculum  vertitur  loquentium." 

4  "  Quod  veniale  est  plebi,  criminale  est  Sacerdoti.     Quod  erroneum 
est  ovi,  peremptorium  est  pastori." — Ad  Past,  in  syn.  s.  3. 

5  "  Splendidae  vestis  manifestiores  sunt  maculae." — Orat.  31. 

6  "  Qui  ab  aliis  vitiis  recesserunt,  in  istud  tamen,  quasi  in  extremum 
diaboli  laqueum,  incidunt." — Ep.  ad  Celant. 

1  "  Sicut  in  pestilentibus  locis  sensim  attractus  aer  morbum  injicit, 
sic  in  prava   conversatione  mala  hauriuntur,  etiamsi  statim  incommo 
dum  non  sentiatur. " — Horn.  Quod  D,  non  sit  auct.  maL 
16 


242  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

ecclesiastic  does  not  give  edification,  such  as  profane 
comedies,  balls  and  parties  where  women  are  present. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  priest  ought  to  be  seen  at 
prayer  in  the  church,  making  thanksgiving  after  Mass, 
and  visiting  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  the  images 
of  the  divine  mother.  Some  perform  these  devotions  in 
private,  lest  they  might  be  seen  by  others;  but  it  is  bet 
ter  for  priests  to  perform  them  in  public,  not  to  seek 
praise,  but  to  give  good  example,  and  thereby  induce 
others  to  praise  God.  That  they  may  see  your  good  works, 
and  glorify  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven.1 

1  "  Videant  opera  vestra  bona,  et  glorificent  Patrem  vestrum,  qui  in 
coelis  est." — Matt.  v.  16. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  243 

INSTRUCTION  III. 

THE    CHASTITY    OF    THE    PRIEST. 
I. 

The  Merit  of  this  Virtue,  and  its  Necessity  for  the  Priest. 

No  price  is  worthy  of  a  continent  soul.1  In  comparison 
with  a  chaste  soul,  all  the  riches,  all  the  titles  and 
dignities  of  the  earth  are  contemptible.  Chastity  is 
called  by  St.  Ephrem  the  life  of  the  spirit;  *  by  St.  Peter 
Damian,  the  queen  of  virtues;3  and  by  St.  Cyprian,  the 
acquisition  of  triumphs.4  He  who  conquers  the  vice 
opposed  to  chastity,  easily  subdues  all  other  vices;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  the  man  who  submits  to  the  tyranny 
of  impurity,  easily  falls  into  many  other  vices,  into 
hatred,  injustice,  sacrilege,  etc. 

Chastity,  says  St.  Ephrem,  changes  a  man  into  an 
angel.5  St.  Bernard  says,  "  Chastity  makes  an  angel  of 
man."'  And  according  to  St.  Ambrose,  "  he  who  has 
preserved  chastity  is  an  angel:  he  who  has  lost  it  is  a 
devil."7  The  chaste,  who  live  at  a  distance  from  all 
carnal  pleasures,  are  justly  assimilated  to  the  angels: 
They  shall  be  as  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven*  The  angels 
are  pure  by  nature,  but  the  chaste  are  pure  by  virtue. 

1  "  Omnis  autem   ponderatio    non  est  digna  continentis  animae." — 
Ecchis.  xxvi.  20. 

2  "  Vita  spiritus." 

3  "  Regina  virtutum." 

4  "  Acquisitio  triumphorum." 

5  "O  castitas,  quae  homines  Angelis  similes  reddis!" — De  Castit. 

6  "  Castitas  angelum  de  homine  facit." — De  Mor.  ct  Off.  Ep.  c.  3. 

7  "  Castitas  angelos  facit:  qui  earn  servavit,  angehisest;  quiperdidit, 
diabolus." — De  Virg.  1.  i. 

8  "  Et  erunt  sicut  Angeli  Dei." — Matt.  xxii.  30. 


244  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

"  Through  the  merit  of  this  virtue,"  says  Cassian, 
"  men  are  like  unto  angels."  '  And  St.  Bernard  asserts 
that  a  chaste  man  differs  from  an  angel  only  in  felic 
ity,  not  in  virtue;  and  although  the  chastity  of  the 
angel  is  more  blissful,  that  of  man  is  stronger.2  St. 
Basil  adds,  that  chastity  renders  man  like  to  God,  who 
is  a  pure  spirit.3 

Chastity  is  not  more  excellent  than  it  is  necessary  for 
the  attainment  of  salvation.  But  for  priests  it  is  specially 
necessary.  For  the  priests  of  the  Old  Law  the  Lord 
ordered  so  many  white  vestments  and  ornaments,  and 
so  many  external  purifications,  as  symbols  of  bodily 
purity,  merely  because  they  were  to  touch  the  sacred 
vessels,  and  because  they  were  a  figure  of  the  priests  of 
the  New  Law,  who  were  to  handle  and  to  immolate  the 
most  sacred  flesh  of  the  Incarnate  Word.  Hence  St. 
Ambrose  has  written:  "If  of  the  figure  such  chastity 
was  asked,  how  much  more  will  it  be  asked  of  the  real 
ity  ?" 4  On  the  other  hand,  God  ordained  that  the  priests 
who  were  habitually  infected  with  eruptions  on  the 
skin,  the  symbols  of  impurity,  should  be  cast  off  from 
the  altar:  Neither  shall  he  approach  to  minister  to  Him,  .  .  . 
if  he  have  a  pearl  in  his  eye,  or  a  continual  scab?  "  But 

1  "  Hujus  virtutis   merito,  homines  Angelis  aequantur." — De  Cccnob. 
Inst.  1.  6,  c.  6. 

2  "  Differunt  quidem  inter  se  Angeluset  homo  pudicus,  sed  felicitate, 
non  virtute;  sed,  etsi   illius  castitas  felicior,  hujus  tamen  fortior  esse 
cognoscitur." — De  Mor.  et  Off.  Ep.  c.  3.* 

3  "  Pudicitia  hominem  Deosimillimum  facit." — De  Vera  Virginit. 

4  "  Si  in  figura  tanta  observantia,  quanta  in  veritate  ?" — De  Offic.  1. 
i,  c.  50. 

5  "Nee  accedet  ad  ministerium  ejus,  ...  si  albuginem  habens   in 
oculo,  si  jugem  scabiem." — Lev.  xxi.  18. 

*  St.  John  Chrysostom  admirably  develops  this  comparison  between 
chaste  souls  and  angels,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  breviary,  June  21,  the  3d 
nocturn. — ED. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  245 

this  evil,"  says  St.  Gregory,  "  he  has  that  is  controlled 
by  the  concupiscence  of  the  flesh."  : 

Even  the  pagans,  as  Plutarch  writes,  required  purity 
in  the  priests  of  their  false  gods;  because  they  thought 
that  whatsoever  related  to  the  divine  honor  should  be 
clean.2  And  of  the  Athenian  priests  Plato  says,  that  for 
the  more  effectual  preservation  of  chastity  they  lived 
apart  from  the  rest  of  the  people.3  Hence  St.  Augus 
tine  exclaims:  "O  great  misery  among  Christians! 
the  pagans  have  become  the  teachers  of  the  faithful.'"' 
Speaking  of  priests  of  the  true  God,  Clement  of  Alex 
andria  says  that  they  only  that  lead  a  life  of  chastity 
are,  or  should  be,  called  true  priests.5  "  Let  the  priest 
be  humble  and  pious,"  said  St.  Thomas  of  Villanova; 
"  if  he  is  not  chaste,  he  is  nothing."  '  Chastity  is  neces 
sary  for  all,  but  principally  for  priests.  "  To  all,"  says  St. 
Augustine,  "chastity  is  most  necessary,  but  especially  to 
the  ministers  of  the  altar."  7  Priests  have  to  treat  on  the 
altar  with  the  immaculate  Lamb  of  God,  who  is  called  the 
Lily  of  the  valleys?  and  feeds  only  among  the  lilies?  Hence 
Jesus  Christ  would  have  no  other  mother  than  a  virgin 
—no  other  guardian  or  precursor  than  a  virgin.  And 
St.  Jerome  says  that  Jesus  loved  John  above  the  other 

"  Jugem  habet  scabiem,  cui  carnis  petulantia  dominatur." — Past.  p. 
i,  c.  ii. 

2  "  Diis  omnia  munda." 

3  "  Ne  contagione  aliqua  eorum  castitas  labefactetur." 

"  O  grand  is  christianorum   miseria!  ecce   pagani  doctores  fidjlium 
facti  sunt." — Ad  Fr.  in  er.  s.  37. 

5  "Soli  qui  puram  agunt  vitam,  sunt  Dei  Sacerdotes. "— Strom.  1.  4. 

6  Sit  humilis  Sacerdos,  sit  devotus;  si  non  est  castus,  nihil  est.'' — 
De  D.  Ang.  cone.  3. 

"  Omnibus  castitas  pernecessaria  est,  sed  maxime  ministris  Christi 
altaris." — Serm.  291,  E.  B.  app. 

8  "  Lilium  convallium." 

9  "  Qui  pascitur  inter  lilia." — Cant.  ii.  1-16. 


246  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

disciples  on  account  of  the  prerogative  of  chastity.1 
And  Jesus  intrusted  his  mother  to  John  on  account  of 
his  purity,  as  he  consigns  to  the  priest  his  Church  and 
himself.  Hence  Origen  says  :  "Above  all  should  the 
priest  who  assists  at  the  altar  of  God  be  girt  about  with 
chastity."2  And  according  to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  a 
priest  should  have  purity  which  would  entitle  him  to 
stand  among  the  angels.3  Should  none,  then,  but  vir 
gins  be  promoted  to  the  priesthood  ?  St.  Bernard 
answers:  "Long  continuance  in  chastity  is  regarded  as 
virginity."  4 

Hence  the  holy  Church  guards  nothing  with  so  much 
jealousy  as  the  purity  of  her  priests.  How  many  coun 
cils  and  canons  enforce  it?  "  Let  no  one,"  says  Inno 
cent  III.,  "  be  admitted  to  holy  orders  unless  he  be  a 
virgin,  or  a  man  of  approved  chastity;"  5  and  he  ordained 
that  "they  who  are  in  holy  Orders,  if  they  lead  not  a 
chaste  life,  are  to  be  excluded  from  every  dignity:  ab 
omni  gradum  dignitate?  St.  Gregory  says:  "  No  one 
should  approach  the  ministry  of  the  altar  unless  his 
chastity  has  been  proved."7  St.  Paul  assigns  the  reason 
why  the  ministers  of  the  altar  are  obliged  to  lead  a  life 
of  celibacy:  He  that  is  without  a  wife  is  solicitous  for  the 
things  that  belong  to  the  Lord,  hoiv  he  may  please  God;  but 

1  "Prse  caeteris  discipulis  diligebat  Jesus  Joannem,   propter  praero 
gativam  castitatis." 

2  "  Ante  omnia,  Sacerdos,  qui  divinis  assistit  altaribus,  castitate  debet 
accingi." — In  Lev.  horn.  4. 

3  "  Necesse  est  Sacerdotem  sic  esse  purum,  ut,  si  in  ipsis  coelis  esset 
collocatus,  inter  ccelestes  illas  Virtutes  medius  staret." — DC  Saccrd.  1.  3. 

4  "  Longa  castitas  pro  virginitate  reputatur." — De  Alodo  b.  viv.  c.  22. 

5  "  Nemo  ad  sacrum  Ordinem  permittatur  accedere,  nisi  aut  virgoaut 
probatze  castitatis  exsistat. " 

6  "  Eos  qui  in  sacris  Ordinibus  sunt  positi.  si  caste  non  vixerint,  ex- 
cludendos  ab  omni  graduum  dignitate." — Cap.  A  multis,  de  tet.  et  quol. 
Ord. 

7  "  Nullus  debet  ad  ministerium  altaris  accedere,  nisi   cujus  castitas 
ante  susceptum  ministerium  fuerit  approbata." — Epist.  \.  i,  ep.  42. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  247 

he  that  is  with  a  wife,  is  solicitous  for  the  things  of  the 
world,  how  he  may  please  his  wife.1  He  who  is  free  from 
the  conjugal  bonds  belongs  entirely  to  God;  for  he  has 
to  think  of  nothing  but  of  pleasing  God.  But  he  who 
is  bound  to  the  married  state  has  to  think  of  his  wife, 
of  his  children,  and  of  the  world.  Thus  his  heart  is 
divided,  and  cannot  belong  wholly  to  God.  St.  Atha- 
nasius,  then,  had  reason  to  call  chastity  the  house  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  life  of  angels,  and  the  crown  of  saints.2 
And  St.  Jerome  has  justly  called  it  the  honor  of  the 
Church  and  the  glory  of  priests.3  Yes:  for,  as  St. 
Ignatius,  Martyr,  says,  the  priest  as  the  house  of  God, 
the  temple  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  organ  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  by  which  souls  are  sanctified,  ought  to  practise 
chastity.4 

II. 

Means  of  Preserving  Chastity. 

Great,  then,  is  the  excellence  of  chastity;  but  terrible 
indeed  is  the  war  that  the  flesh  wages  against  men  in 
order  to  rob  them  of  that  precious  virtue.  The  flesh  is 
the  most  powerful  weapon  that  the  devil  employs  in 
order  to  make  us  his  slaves.  His  strength  is  in  his  loins? 
Hence  but  few  gain  the  victory  in  this  warfare.  "  Among 
all  combats,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "the  combat  for  chas 
tity  is  the  most  violent,  because  it  is  a  daily  combat,  and 

"Qui  sine  uxore  est,  sollicitus  est  quae  Domini  sunt,  quomodo 
placeat  Deo;  qui  autem  cum  uxore  est,  sollicitus  est  quae  sunt  mundi, 
quomodo  placeat  uxori,  et  divisus  est." — i  Cor.  vii.  32. 

'2  "  O  pudicitia,  domicilium  Spiritus  Sancti,  Angelorum  vita,  Sanc 
torum  corona!" — DC  Virginit. 

3  "  Ornamentum  Ecclesiae  Dei,  corona  illustrior  Sacerdotum." 

4"Teipsum  castum  custodi,  ut  domum  Dei,  templum  Christi, 
organum  Spiritus  Sancti." — Ep.  ad  Heron, 

5  "  Fortitudo  ejus  in  lumbis  ejus." — Job,  xl.  n. 


248  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

because  victory  is  very  rare."  How  many  miserable 
men,  exclaims  St.  Laurence  Justinian  with  tears,  after 
many  years  spent  in  the  solitude  of  a  desert,  in  medita 
tions,  fasting,  and  penitential  austerities,  have,  for  the 
sake  of  sensual  indulgence,  left  the  desert  and  have  lost 
chastity  and  God?2  Priests,  then,  who  are  bound  to 
perpetual  chastity,  must  take  great  care  to  preserve  it. 
You  shall  never  practise  chastity,  said  St.  Charles  Bor- 
romeo  to  an  ecclesiastic,  unless  you  are  careful  to  watch 
over  yourself  with  great  diligence;  for  chastity  is  easily 
lost  by  the  negligent.3 

This  care  and  attention  consist  in  taking  the  means 
of  preserving  chastity.  These  means  are,  to  avoid  cer 
tain  incentives  to  impurity,  and  to  adopt  certain  reme 
dies  against  temptations. 

i.  FLIGHT  OF  THE  OCCASION. 

The  first  means  is  to  avoid  the  occasions  of  sins 
against  purity.  "We  must,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  be  far 
from  those  whose  presence  may  entice  us  to  evil."'  St. 
Philip  Neri  used  to  say  that  in  this  warfare  cowards, 
that  is,  they  that  fly  from  the  occasions,  are  victorious. 
"  Concupiscence,"  says  Peter  de  Blois,  "is  overcome  by 
nothing  more  easily  than  by  flight."  5 

The  grace  of  God  is  a  great  treasure,  but  this  treasure 
we  carry  in  vessels  that  are  frail  and  easily  broken. 
We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels*  Man  cannot  of 

1  "  Inter  omnia  certamina,    sola  duriora  sunt  praelia  castitatis,   ubi 
quotidiana  est  pugna,  et  rara  victoria." — Serm.  293,  E.  B.  app. 

2  "  Quanti,  post  frequentes  orationes,  diutissimatn  eremi  habitationem, 
cibi  potusque    parcitatem,  seducti    spiritu   fornicationis,  deserta   relin- 
quentes,  duplici  interitu,  perierunt  !  " — DC  spir.  an.  hit.  1.  i. 

3  "  Minim  est  quam  facile  ab  iis  deperdatur,  qui  ad  ejus  conserva- 
tionem  non  invigilant." 

4  "  Primum  hujus  vitii  remedium  est  longe  fieri  ab  eis  quorum  prae- 
sentia  alliciat  ad  malum." 

5  "  Nunquam  luxuria  facilius  vincitur,  quam  fugiendo." — Serm.  45. 

6  "  Habemus  autem  thesaurum  istum  in  vasis  fictilibus." — 2  Cor.  iv.  7. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  249 

himself  acquire  the  virtue  of  chastity:  God  alone  can 
give  it.  /  knew,  said  Solomon,  that  I  could  not  otherwise 
be  continent  except  God  gave  it.1  We  have  not  strength  to 
practise  any  virtue,  but  particularly  the  virtue  of  chas 
tity;  for  we  have  by  nature  a  strong  propensity  to  the 
opposite  vice.  The  divine  aid  alone  can  enable  a  man 
to  preserve  chastity;  but  this  aid  God  gives  not  to  those 
that  voluntarily  expose  themselves  to  the  occasion  of  sin, 
or  remain  in  it.  He  that  loveth  danger  shall  perish  in  it? 

Hence  St.  Augustine  gives  the  following  advice:  "  To 
repel  the  attacks  of  lust,  take  flight  if  you  wish  to  obtain 
the  victory."1  Oh  !  how  many,  said  St.  Jerome  at  the 
hour  of  death  to  his  disciples  (as  we  read  in  the 
epistle  of  Eusebius  to  Pope  Damasus),  how  many  have 
been  cast  into  the  putrid  mire  of  impurity  through  a 
presumptuous  security  that  they  should  not  fall.4  No 
one,  then,  adds  the  saint,  should  consider  himself  secure 
against  this  vice:  though  you  were  a  saint,  you  are 
always  in  danger  of  failing.0 

It  is  not  possible,  says  the  Wise  Man,  for  a  man  to 
walk  on  red-hot  coals  and  not  be  burned.  Can  a  man 
walk  upon  hot  coals,  and  his  feet  not  be  burnt  ^  On  this 
subject  St.  John  Chrysostom  writes:  "Are  you  perhaps 
of  stone  or  of  iron  ?  no,  you  are  a  man  subject  to  the 
common  weakness  of  nature.  Do  you  think  that  you 
will  not  be  burnt  if  you  take  fire  into  your  hand  ?  How 

T  "  Scivi  quoniam  aliter  non  possem  esse  continens,  nisi  Deus  det.' 
—  Wisd.  viii.  21. 

'-'  "  Qui  amat  periculum,  in  illo  peribit." — Ecdus.  iii.  27. 

3  "  Contra   libidinis    impetum,    apprehende    fugam,    si   vis   obtinere 
victoriam." — Serm.  293,  E.  B.  app. 

4  "  Plurimi  sanctissimi  ceciderunt  hoc  vitio  propter  suam  securitatem  ; 
nullus  in  hoc  confidat." 

5  "  Si  sanctus  es,  nee  tamen  securus  es." — Ettseb.  Ep.  ad  Dam.  de 
morte  Hier. 

6  "  Numquid  potest  homo  .  .   .  ambulare  super  prunas,  ut  non  com- 
burantur  plantse  ejus?" — Prov.  vi.  27. 


250  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

else  could  this  be?  Put  a  burning  light  into  the  hay, 
and  then  say  that  there  will  be  no  blaze  !  Like  hay  is 
this  nature  of  ours."1  Hence  it  is  not  possible  for  a 
man  to  expose  himself  voluntarily  to  the  occasions  of 
sins  against  chastity  and  not  fall  into  a  precipice.  We 
should  fly  from  sin  as  from  the  face  of  a  serpent.  Flee 
from  sin  as  from  the  face  of  a  serpent?  We  fly  not  only 
from  the  bite  of  a  serpent,  but  also  from  contact  with  it 
and  proximity  to  it.  We  must  also  avoid  the  company 
and  conversation  of  persons  who  may  be  to  us  an  occa 
sion  of  yielding  to  any  sin  against  purity.  St.  Ambrose 
remarks  that  the  chaste  Joseph  would  not  stop  to  hear 
the  first  words  of  Putiphar's  wife,  but  instantly  fled 
away,  considering  that  there  was  great  danger  in  wait 
ing  to  listen  to  her.3  But  some  one  may  say:  I  know 
my  duty;  but  let  him  attend  to  the  words  of  St.  Francis 
of  Assisi:  "  I  know  what  I  ought  to  do,  but  I  know  not 
what  I  would  do  were  I  to  remain  in  the  occasion  of 
sin." 

I.  Let  us  examine  the  principal  occasions  that  the 
priest  should  carefully  avoid  in  order  to  preserve  chas 
tity.  It  is  necessary,  above  all  things,  to  abstain  from 
looking  at  dangerous  objects.  Death  is  come  up  through 
our  windows?  says  the  Prophet  Jeremias'.  Through  the 
windows:  that  is,  through  the  eyes,  as  St.  Jerome,  St. 
Gregory,  and  others  say  in  their  comments  on  this 
passage.  For  as  to  defend  a  fortification  it  is  not 
enough  to  lock  the  gates  if  the  enemy  be  allowed  to 
enter  by  the  windows;  so  to  preserve  chastity  all  other 

1  "  Num  tu  saxeus  es,  num  ferreus  ?  Homo  es,  communi  naturae 
imbecillitati  obnoxius;  ignem  capis,  nee  ureris?  Lucernam  in  feno 
pone,  ac  turn  aude  negare  quod  fenum  uratur.  Quod  fenum  est,  hoc 
natura  nostra  est." — In  Ps.  50,  horn.  i. 

a  "Quasi  a  facie  colubri,  fuge  peccata." — Ecdus.  xxi.  2. 

3  "  Ne  ipsa  quidem  verba  diu  passus  est;  contagium  enim  judicavit, 
si  diutius  moraretur." — De  S.  fos.  c.  5. 

4  "  Ascendit  mors  per  fenestras." — Jer.  ix.  21. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  251 

means  shall  be  unprofitable  unless  we  carefully  watch 
over  the  eyes.  Tertullian1  relates  that  a  certain  pagan 
philosopher  plucked  out  his  eyes  in  order  to  preserve 
chastity.  This  is  not  lawful  for  us.  But  if  we  wish  to 
avoid  sins  against  purity  we  must  abstain  from  looking 
at  women,  and  still  more  from  looking  at  them  a  second 
time.  To  look  at  dangerous  objects,  says  St.  Francis 
de  Sales,  is  not  so  hurtful  to  us  as  to  repeat  the  look. 
And  St.  John  Chrysostom  adds,  that  it  is  necessary  to 
turn  away  the  eyes  not  only  from  women  whose  dress 
or  manner  is  immodest,  but  even  from  those  whose  de 
meanor  is  full  of  modesty.2  Hence  holy  Job  made  a 
compact  with  his  eyes  not  to  look  at  any  woman,  even 
at  a  chaste  virgin;  because  he  knew  from  looks  evil 
thoughts  arise:  /  made  a  covenant  with  my  eyes  that  I 
would  not  so  much  as  think  upon  a  virgin?  Ecclesiasticus 
advises  us  to  imitate  the  example  of  Job.  Gaze  not  upon 
a  maiden,  lest  her  beauty  be  a  stumbling-block  to  thee?  St. 
Augustine  says:  From  looks  spring  evil  thoughts;  the 
thoughts  produce  a  certain  carnal  delectation,  though 
indeliberate.  To  this  indeliberate  delectation  succeeds 
the  consent  of  the  will;5  and,  behold,  the  soul  is  lost. 
Cardinal  Hugo  remarks  that  the  Apostle  commanded 
women  to  keep  their  heads  veiled  in  the  church  because 
of  the  angels?  that  is,  because  of  priests,  lest  looking  at 
their  faces  they  should  be  tempted  to  lust.7  Even  while 

1  Apolog.  c.  46. 

"Animus  feritur  et  commovetur,  non  impudicae  tantum  intuitu,  sed 
etiam  pudicae." — De  Sacerd.  1.  6. 

3  "  Pepigi  foedus  cum  oculis  meis,  ut  ne  cogitarem  quidem  de  vir- 
gine." — Job,  xxxi.  i. 

"  Virginem  ne  conspicias,  ne  forte  scandalizeris  in  decore  illius." — 
Ecclus.  ix.  5. 

"Visum  sequitur  cogitatio,  cogitationem  delectatio,  delectationem 
consensus." 

6  "  Propter  Angelos." 

1  "  '  Propter  Angelos,'  id  est,  Sacerdotes,  ne,  in  ejus  faciem  inspici- 
entes,  moverentur  ad  libidinem." — In  i  Cor.  xi.  10. 


252  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

he  lived  in  a  cave  at  Bethlehem,  in  constant  prayer  and 
penitential  austerities,  St.  Jerome  was  tormented  by  the 
remembrance  of  the  ladies  whom  he  had  long  before 
seen  in  Rome.  Hence  he  cautioned  his  friend  Nepo- 
tianus  to  abstain  not  only  from  looking  at  women,  but 
from  even  speaking  of  their  figure.1  By  a  single  look  of 
curiosity  at  Bethsebee,  David  miserably  fell  into  the 
sins  of  adultery,  homicide,  and  scandal.  "  The  devil 
only  wishes  us  to  begin,"2  says  the  same  St.  Jerome. 
The  devil  only  requires  that  we  begin  to  open  the  door; 
he  wrill  afterwards  open  it  entirely.  A  deliberate,  fixed 
look  at  the  countenance  of  a  young  woman  may  be  an 
infernal  spark  that  will  cause  the  ruin  of  the  soul. 
Speaking  of  priests,  St.  Jerome  says  that  they  ought  to 
avoid  not  only  every  unchaste  act,  but  every  glance  of 
the  eye.3 

II.  If  to  preserve  chastity  we  must  abstain  from  look 
ing  at  women,  it  is  far  more  necessary  to  avoid  conver 
sation  with  them.  Tarry  not  among  women*  says  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  inspired  writer  subjoins  the  reason, 
saying,  that  as  the  moth  comes  from  clothes,  so  the 
wickedness  of  men  has  its  origin  in  conversation  with 
women.  For  from  garments  cometh  a  moth,  and  from  a 
woman  the  iniquity  of  a  man?  And,  says  Cornelius  a 
Lapide,  as  the  moth  comes  from  a  garment  in  spite  of 
the  owner,  so  from  intercourse  writh  women  evil  desires 
spring  up,  even  when  we  will  them  not.6  He  adds  that 

1  "  Officii  tui  est,  non  solum  oculos  castos  custodire,  sed  et  linguam; 
numquam  de  formis  mulierum  disputes." — Ep.  ad  Nepot. 

2  "  Nostris  tantum  initiis  (diabolus)  opus  habet." 

3  "  Pudicitia  sacerdotalis  non  solum  ab  opere  se  immundo  abstineat, 
sed  etiam  a  jactu  oculi  sit  libera." — In  Tit.  i. 

4  "  In  medio  mulierum  noli  commorari." — Ecclus.  xlii.  12. 

5  "  De  vestimentis  enim  procedit  timea,  et  a  muliere  iniquitas  viri." 
—Ibid. 

6  "  Sicut  tibi  nihil  tale  volenti  nascitur  in  veste  et  e  veste  tinea,  ita 
nihil  tale  volenti  nascitur  ex  femina  desiderium." 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  253 

as  the  moth  is  insensibly  generated  in  and  corrodes  the 
garment,  so  by  conversation  with  women  concupiscence 
is  imperceptibly  excited,  even  in  men  who  are  spiritual.1 
St.  Augustine  regards  as  certain  the  sudden  fall  of  the 
man  who  will  not  avoid  familiarity  with  dangerous 
objects.2  St.  Gregory  relates3  of  Orsinus,  who  had  sep 
arated  from  his  wife,  and  become  a  priest  with  her  con 
sent,  that  forty  years  after  their  separation,  when  he 
was  dying,  she  put  her  ear  to  his  mouth  to  ascertain 
whether  he  was  still  alive;  but  Orsinus  exclaimed: 
"Withdraw,  O  woman,"  said  he;  "  take  away  the  straw; 
for  I  have  still  a  small  portion  of  the  fire  of  life  which 
may  consume  us  both."^ 

Every  one  should  be  filled  with  terror  by  the  unhappy 
example  of  Solomon,  who  after  being  so  dear  to  God, 
and  so  familiar  with  him,  after  being  made,  as  it  were, 
the  pen  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  in  his  old  age,  by  con 
versation  with  pagan  women,  induced  to  worship  idols. 
And  when  he  was  now  old,  his  heart  was  turned  away  by 
women  to  follow  strange  gods?  No  wonder;  for,  as  St. 
Cyprian  says,  it  is  impossible  to  stand  in  the  midst  of 
flames  without  being  burned.6  And  St.  Bernard  has 
written,  that  to  be  familiar  with  a  woman  and  to  pre 
serve  chastity  require  greater  virtue  than  to  raise  a 
dead  man  to  life.7  If,  then,  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  you 

1  "Tinea  insensibiliter  in  veste  nascitur,  et  earn  erodit;  sic  insensi- 
biliter  ex  conversatione  cum  muliere  oritur  libido,   etiam  inter  religi- 
osos." 

2  ' '  Sine  ulla  dubitatione,  qui  familiaritatem  non  vult  vitare  suspectam, 
cito  labitur  in  ruinara." — Serm.  293,  E.  B.  app. 

3  Dial.  1.  4,  c.  ii. 

4  "  Recede  mulier,  adhuc  igniculus  vivit,  paleam  tolle." 

•r>  "  Cumque  jam  esset  senex,  depravatum  est  cor  ejus  per  mulieres, 
ut  sequeretur  deos  alienos." — 3  Kings,  xi.  4. 

6  "  Impossibile  est  flammis  circumdari,  et  non  ardere." — De  Singular, 
cler. 

7  "  Cum  femina  semper  esse,  et  non  cognoscere  feminam,  nonne  plus 
est  quam  mortuum  suscitare  ?" — In  Cant.  s.  65. 


254  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

wish  to  be  secure,  Remove  thy  way  far  from  her.1  Do  not 
even  pass  near  the  door  of  her  whom  the  devil  makes  an 
occasion  of  temptation  to  you:  pass  at  a  distance  from 
it;  and  should  it  be  really  necessary  for  you  to  speak  to 
a  woman,  your  words,  says  St.  Augustine,  should  be  few 
and  reserved.2  St.  Cyprian  gives  the  same  advice.  He 
says  that  our  intercourse  with  women  should  be  passing, 
and  as  if  we  were  in  flight.  3 

But  some  one  may  say,  The  woman  with  whom  I  am 
familiar  is  a  person  of  deformed  figure;  God  forbid  she 
should  be  an  occasion  of  sin  to  me.  But  St.  Cyprian 
answers  that  the  devil  is  a  painter  who,  when  concupis 
cence  is  excited,  makes  a  deformed  countenance  appear 
beautiful.4 

But  she  is  a  relative.  St.  Jerome  answers:  "Allow 
not  to  stay  with  you  even  the  person  that  is  your  rela 
tive."  ''  Relationship  sometimes  serves  to  take  away  re 
straint  and  to  multiply  sins  by  adding  the  guilt  of  incest 
to  impurity  and  sacrilege.  "The  sin  will  be  only  the 
more  criminal,"  says  St.  Cyprian,  "  the  more  easily  one 
can  remove  the  suspicion  of  misconduct.'"  St.  Charles 
Borromeo7  passed  a  decree  that  his  priests  should  not 
without  his  permission  dwell  in  the  same  house  with 
women,  even  with  near  relatives. 

But  she  is  a  spiritual  soul  and  a  saint:  there  is  no 
danger.  Is  there  no  danger?  Yes,  says  St.  Augustine. 

1  "  Longe  fac  ab  ea  viam  tuam,  et  ne  appropinques  foribus  domus 
ejus." — Prov.  v.  8. 

2  "  Cum  feminis,  sermo  brevis  et  rigidus." 

:i  "  Transeunter  feminis  exhibenda  est  accessio,  quodammodo  fugi- 
tiva." — De  Singular,  clcr. 

4  "  Diabolus,  pingens,  speciosus  efficit  quidquid  horridum  fuerit." 

5  "  Prohibe  tecum  morari,  etiam  quae  de  genere  tuo  sunt." — Ep.  ad 
Ocean. 

6  "  Magis  illicito  delinquitur  ubi  sine  suspicione  securum  potest  esse 
delictum." 

1  A  eta  Mcdiol.  p.  2,  syn.  4,  Monit. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  255 

there  is  danger;  and  because  she  is  spiritual  and  a  saint 
you  ought  the  more  to  fear  and  fly  familiarity  with  her; 
for  the  more  spiritual  and  holy  a  woman  is,  the  more 
easily  she  gains  the  affections  of  men.1  The  Venerable 
Father  Sertorius  Caputo  used  to  say,  as  we  read  in  his 
life,  that  the  devil  endeavors  first  to  infuse  a  love  for  the 
virtue  of  the  individual,  and  thus  inspire  a  security  that 
there  is  no  danger;  he  then  excites  sentiments  of  affec 
tion  for  the  person,  and  afterwards  tempts  to  sin;  and 
thus  he  causes  great  havoc.  Before  him  St.  Thomas 
said  the  same:  "Although  carnal  affection  is  dangerous 
to  all,  it  is  yet  more  so  for  those  that  associate  with 
persons  that  seem  to  be  spiritual;  for,  even  though  the 
beginning  seems  pure,  yet  frequent  familiarity  is  very 
dangerous;  and  the  more  the  familiarity  increases,  the 
more  the  first  motive  is  weakened,  and  thus  purity  is 
defiled."2  He  adds,  that  the  devil  knows  well  how  to 
conceal  the  danger.  In  the  beginning  he  sends,  not 
poisoned  darts,  but  only  those  that  inflict  slight  wounds, 
and  kindle  an  affection;  but  in  a  short  time  the  persons 
begin  to  act  towards  each  other  not  like  angels,  as  in 
the  beginning,  but  like  beings  clothed  with  flesh.  The 
looks  are  not  immodest,  but  they  are  frequent  and  re 
ciprocal;  their  words  appear  to  be  spiritual,  but  are  too 
affectionate.  Each  begins  frequently  to  desire  the  com 
pany  of  the  other.  "And  thus,"  concludes  the  saint, 
"a  spiritual  devotion  is  converted  into  a  carnal  one." 

"  Sermo  brevis  et  rigidus  cum  mulieribus  est  habendus;  nee  tamen, 
quia  sanctiores  fuerint,  ideo  minus  cavendse;  quo  enim  sanctiores 
fuerint,  eo  magis  alliciunt." — De  Modo  confit. 

2  "Licet  carnalis  affectio  sit  omnibus  periculosa,  etiam  tamen  per- 
niciosa  est  magis,  quando  conversantur  cum  persona  qua  spiritualis 
videtur;  nam,  quamvis  eorum  principium  videatur  esse  purum,  fre- 
quens  tamen  familiaritas  domesticum  est  periculum;  quae  quidem 
familiaritas  quanto  plus  crescit,  tanto  plus  infirmatur  principale  moti- 
vum,  et  puritas  maculatur." 

"Sicque  spiritualis  devotio  convertitur  in  carnalem." — De  Pro- 
fectzt  Rel.  1.  2,  c.  27. 


256  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

St.  Bonaventure  gives  five  marks  by  which  we  may 
know  when  a  spiritual  affection  has  become  carnal. 
i.  When  there  are  long  and  useless  conversations  (and 
when  they  are  long  they  are  always  useless);  2.  When 
there  are  mutual  looks  and  mutual  praise;  3.  When  one 
excuses  the  faults  of  the  other;  4.  When  they  exhibit 
certain  little  jealousies;  5.  When  the  absence  of  one 
causes  a  certain  inquietude  in  the  other. 

Let  us  tremble:  we  are  flesh.  Blessed  Jordan  severely 
reproved  one  of  his  religious  for  having,  without  any 
bad  motive,  once  taken  a  woman  by  the  hand.  The  re 
ligious  said  in  answer  that  she  was  a  saint.  But,  re 
plied  the  holy  man:  "The  rain  is  good,  and  the  earth 
also,  but  mix  them  together  and  they  become  mire." 
Such  a  man  is  a  saint,  and  such  a  woman,  too,  is  a 
saint;  but  because  they  expose  themselves  to  the  occa 
sion  of  sin,  both  are  lost.  The  strong  hath  stumbled  against 
the  strong,  and  both  arc  fallen  together.1  Listen  to  the 
melancholy  fall  of  a  holy  woman  who,  as  we  read  in 
ecclesiastical  history,  was  accustomed  through  charity 
to  bury  the  bodies  of  the  holy  martyrs.  She  found  one 
of  them  whom  she  believed  to  be  dead;  but  finding  he 
was  still  alive,  she  brought  him  to  her  house  and  took 
care  of  him.  He  recovered;  but  what  happened  ?  These 
two  saints,  by  conversing  together,  lost  their  chastity 
and  the  grace  of  God. 

This  has  happened,  not  once,  nor  a  few  times:  how 
many  Christians,  who  were  saints  before,  have,  by  simi 
lar  attachments,  which  were  at  first  spiritual,  in  the  end 
lost  their  soul  and  God  ?  St.  Augustine  attests  that  he 
knew  some  great  prelates  of  the  Church  of  whom  he 
had  as  high  an  opinion  as  of  St.  Jerome  and  St.  Ambrose, 
and  who,  by  exposing  themselves  to  such  occasions,  fell 

"  Fortis  impegit  in  fortem,  et  ambo  pariter   conciderunt." — fer. 
xlvi.  12. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  257 

away  from  sanctity  into  sin.1  St.  Jerome  wrote  to  Ne- 
potianus:  "  Do  not  confide  too  much  in  your  past  chas 
tity;  be  careful  not  to  sit  alone  with  a  woman  without 
a  witness,"2  that  is,  do  not  remain  with  her.  St.  Isidore 
of  Pelusium  says:  "  If  necessity  obliges  you  to  converse 
with  women,  keep  your  eyes  cast  on  the  ground;  and 
after  you  have  spoken  a  few  words,  go  away  imme 
diately."1  Father  Peter  Consolini  of  the  Oratory  used 
to  say,  that  we  should  practise  charity  towards  women 
who  are  even  saints  as  towards  the  souls  in  purgatory, 
that  is,  from  a  distance,  and  without  looking  at  them. 
This  good  Father  would  say,  that  in  temptations  against 
chastity  priests  would  do  well  to  reflect  on  their  dig 
nity;  and  would  add  that  a  certain  Cardinal,  when 
molested  by  thoughts,  began  to  look  at  his  cap,  and  to 
think  of  his  cardinalitial  dignity,  saying:  "  My  cap,  I 
recommend  myself  to  you."  Thus  he  resisted  the  temp 
tation. 

III.  It  is  also  necessary  to  fly  from  bad  company.  St. 
Jerome  says  that  a  man  becomes  like  the  companions 
with  whom  he  converses.4  We  walk  in  a  dark  and  slip 
pery  way; 5  such  is  the  present  life  ;  Lubricum  in  tenebris  : 
if  a  wicked  companion  impels  us  to  the  precipice,  we 
are  lost.  St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna  relates6  that  he  knew 
a  person  who  had  preserved  her  virginity  for  thirty- 

"Magnos  praelatos  Ecclesiae  sub  hac  specie  coruisse  reperi,  de 
quorum  casu  non  magis  prsesumebam,  quam  Hieronymi  et  Ambrosii." 
— S.  Thomas,  De  modo  con  fit. 

8  "Ne  in  praeterita  castitate  confidas;  solus  cum  sola,  absque  teste, 
non  sedeas." 

"Si  cum  ipsis  conversari  necessitas  te  obstringat,  oculos  humi 
dejectos  habe;  cumque  pauca  locutus  fueris,  statim  avola."— Lib.  2, 
ep.  284. 

"Talis  efficitur  homo,  qualium  societate  fruitur."— Eusebius,  De 
Morte  Hiet. 

5  l<  Lubricum  in  tenebris." 

6  T.  III.  Serin,  extr.  s.  13,  n.  6.. 

17 


258  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

eight  years,  and  afterwards,  in  consequence  of  having 
heard  an  immodest  word,  fell  into  such  habits  of  impur 
ity,  that,  says  the  saint,  the  devil  himself,  if  clothed 
with  flesh,  could  not  have  been  guilty  of  such  filthy 
abominations. 

IV.  To  preserve  chastity,  it  is  also  necessary  to  avoid 
idleness.  Idleness,  says  the  Holy  Ghost,  hath  taught 
much  evil.'  Ezechiel  says  that  it  was  the  cause  of  all 
the  wickedness  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom,  and  of 
their  total  destruction.  Behold !  this  was  the  iniquity  of 
Sodom  .  .  .  the  idleness  of  her  and  of  her  daughters?  This 
was,  as  St.  Bernard  remarks,  the  cause  of  the  fall  of 
Solomon.  The  concupiscence  of  the  flesh  is  repressed 
by  labor,  says  St.  Isidore.3  Hence  St.  Jerome  exhorted 
Rusticus  to  be  always  occupied,  so  that  the  devil,  when 
ever  he  came  to  tempt  him,  should  find  him  employed.4 
According  to  St.  Bonaventure,  the  man  who  is  employed 
shall  be  tempted  by  a  single  devil,  but  the  idle  shall  be 
frequently  assailed  by  many  devils.6 

2.  MORTIFICATION. 

We  have  seen,  then,  that  for  the  preservation  of  chas 
tity  it  is  necessary  to  avoid  idleness  and  the  occasions 
of  impurity.  Let  us  now  examine  what  we  must  do  in 
order  to  preserve  this  great  virtue. 

First,  it  is  necessary  to  practise  the  mortification  of 
the  senses.  If,  says  St.  Jerome,  any  one  wishes  to  live 
in  the  midst  of  earthly  delights,  and  expects  at  the  same 
time  to  be  free  from  the  vices  that  accompany  pleasures, 

1  "  Mul tarn  enim  maiitiam  docuit  otiositas." — Ecclus.  xxxiii.  29. 
9  "  Haec  fuit  iniquitas  Sodomae    .   .       otium  ipsius." — Ezeck.xvi  49. 

3  "  Cedet  libido  laboribus,  cedet  operi." — De  Cent,  in,  de  Lab, 

4  "  Facito  aliquidoperis,  ut  te  semper  diabolus  inveniat  occupatum." 
— Ep,  ad  Rustic. 

6  "Occupatus  ab  uno  daemone  impugnatur;  otiosus  ab  innumeris 
vasiauir.  — De  Prof.  rel.  1.  i,  c.  39. 


INSTR.  in.]     The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  259 

he  deceives  himself.1  When  the  Apostle  was  molested 
with  the  stings  of  the  flesh  he  had  recourse  to  bodily 
mortifications.  /,  said  he,  chastise  my  body  and  bring  it 
into  subjection?  Unless  the  flesh  be  mortified,  it  will 
submit  to  the  spirit  only  with  difficulty.  As  the  lily 
among  the  thorns -,  so  is  My  love  among  the  daughters?  As 
the  lily  is  preserved  among  thorns,  so  chastity  is 
guarded  by  mortifications. 

But  for  him  who  wishes  to  practise  this  sublime  vir 
tue,  it  is,  above  all,  necessary  to  avoid  intemperance  as 
well  in  drinking  as  in  eating. 

Give  not,  says  the  wise  man,  wine  to  kings?  He  who 
takes  more  wine  than  is  necessary,  shall  certainly  be 
molested  with  many  carnal  motions,  and  shall  scarcely 
be  able  to  rule  the  flesh  and  make  it  obedient  to  the  law 
of  chastity.  "  The  body  that  is  inflamed  with  wine  will 
overflow  with  lust,"  says  St.  Jerome.5  For  as  the  prophet 
Osee  has  said,  wine  deprives  man  of  reason,  and  reduces 
him  to  the  level  of  a  brute.  Wine  and  drunkenness  take 
away  the  understanding?  Of  the  Baptist  it  was  foretold. 
He  shall  drink  no  wine  and  strong  drink,  and  he  shall  be 
filed  with  the  Holy  Ghost?  Some  will  argue  in  favor  of 
the  necessity  of  wine,  because  it  is  a  remedy  for  the 
weakness  of  the  stomach.  But,  according  to  the  words 
of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy,  a  small  quantity  of  wine  is  suffi- 


"  Si  quis  existimat  posse  versari  in  deliciis,  et  deliciarum  vitiis 
non  teneri,  seipsum  decipit." — Adv.  Jovin,  1.  2. 

"Castigo  corpus  meum,  et  in  servitutem  redigo." — i  Cor.  ix.  27. 

"  Sicut  lilium  inter  spinas,  sic  arnica  mea  inter  filias." — Cant.  ii.  2. 

"Noli  regibus  dare  vinum." — Prov.  xxxi.  4. 

"Venter  enim  mero  sestuans  despumat  in  libidinem." — Keg. 
Monach.  de  Abst. 

6  "Vinum  et  ebrietas  auferunt  cor." — Os.  iv.  n. 

7  "Vinum  et  siceram  non  bibet,   et   Spiritu  Saricto  replebitur." — 
Luke,  i.  15. 


260  Material  for  Instructions.  IPART  n. 

cient  for  that  malady.      Use  a  little  wine  for  thy  stomach's 
sake,  and  thy  frequent  infirmities? 

It  is  also  necessary  to  abstain  from  superfluity  of 
food.  St.  Jerome  asserts2  that  satiety  of  the  stomach 
provokes  incontinence.  And  St.  Bonaventure  says: 
"Impurity  is  nourished  by  eating  to  excess."1  But^  on 
the  other  hand,  fasting,  as  the  holy  Church  teaches, 
represses  vice  and  produces  virtue:  "O  God,  who  by 
corporal  fasting  dost  suppress  vice,  dost  elevate  the 
mind,  and  dost  confer  virtues  and  rewards."'  St. 
Thomas  has  written  that  when  the  devil  is  conquered 
by  those  whom  he  tempts  to  gluttony,  he  ceases  to 
tempt  them  to  impurity.5 

3.  HUMILITY. 

It  is  necessary  to  practise  humility.  Cassian  says 
that  he  who  is  not  humble  cannot  be  chaste.6  It  hap 
pens,  not  unfrequently,  that  God  chastises  the  proud 
by  permitting  them  to  fall  into  some  sin  against  purity. 
This,  as  David  himself  confessed,  was  the  cause  of  his 
fall.  Before  I  was  humbled  I  offended}  It  is  by  humility 
that  we  obtain  chastity,  says  St.  Bernard.8  And  St 
Augustine  writes:  "Charity  is  the  guardian  of  virginity, 
humility  is  the  place  of  the  guardian."'  Divine  love  is 
the  guardian  of  purity,  but  humility  is  the  house  in 

1  "  Modico  vino  utere,  propter  stomachum  tuum  et  frequentes  tuas 
infirmitates." — I  Tim.  v.  23. 

2  Adv.  Jovin.  1.  2. 

3  "Luxuria  nutritur  a  ventris  ingluvie." — De  Prof.  rel.  1.  2,  c.  52. 

4  "  Deus   qui,   corporal!   jejunio,   vitia  comprimis,   mentem  elevas, 
virtutem  largiris  et  pnemia." 

5  "  Diabolus,  victus  de  gula,  non  tentat  de  libidine." 

6  "  Castitatem  apprehendi  non  posse,  nisi  prim;  humilitatis  in  corde 
'fundamenta  fuerint  collocata." — De  Coenob.  inst.  1.  6,  c.  18. 

7  "  Priusquam  humiliarer,  ego  deliqui." — Ps.  cxviii.  67. 

8  "  Ut  castitas  detur,  humilitas  meretur." — De  Mor.  et  Off.  Ep.  c.  5. 

9  "Gustos  virginitatis,  charitas;  locus  hujus  custodis,  humilitas." — 
De  S.   Virginit.  c.  51. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  261 

which  this  guardian  dwells.  St.  John  Climacus  used  to 
say,  that  he  who  expects  to  conquer  the  flesh  by  conti 
nence  alone  is  like  a  man  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean 
who  wishes  to  save  his  life  by  swimming  with  a  single 
hand.  Therefore  it  is  necessary  to  unite  humility  to 
continence.1 

4.   PRAYER. 

But  above  all,  to  acquire  the  virtue  of  chastity  prayer 
is  necessary:  it  is  necessary  to  pray,  and  to  pray  con 
tinually.  It  has  been  already  said  that  chastity  can 
neither  be  acquired  nor  preserved  unless  God  grant  his 
aid  to  preserve  it;  but  this  aid  he  gives  only  to  those 
who  ask.it.  Hence  the  holy  Fathers  teach  that,  accord 
ing  to  the  words  of  Scripture:  We  ought  always  to  pray, 
and  not  to  faint?'  Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you?  The 
prayer  of  petition  is  necessary  for  adults, — necessitate  medii, 
—that  is,  as  a  means  without  which  salvation  is  impos 
sible.  Hence  the  angelic  Doctor  has  said:  "After  bap 
tism,  continual  prayer  is  necessary  to  man."4  And  if  to 
practise  any  virtue  Christians  require  the  divine  assist 
ance,  they  stand  in  need  of  still  greater  help  in  order  to 
preserve  chastity,  because  they  have  a  strong  tendency 
to  the  opposite  vice.  It  is  impossible,  says  Cassian,  for 
man,  by  his  own  strength,  without  aid  from  God,  to 
keep  himself  chaste;  and  therefore,  in  our  struggle  with 
the  flesh,  we  must  ask  the  Lord,  with  all  the  affection 
of  our  soul,  for  the  gift  of  chastity.5  "  According  to  the 

"  Qui  sola  continentia  bellum  hoc  superare  nititur,  similis  est  ei 
qui,  una  manu  natans,  pelago  liberari  contendit;  sit  ergo  humilitas 
continentiae  conjuncta." — Scala  spir.  gr.  15. 

"  Oportet  semper  orare,  et  non  deficere." — -Luke,  xviii.  i. 
3  "  Petite,  et  dabitur  vobis." — Matt.  vii.  7. 

"  Post  baptismum,  necessaria  est  homini  jugis  oratio." — P.  3,  q. 
39.  a-  5- 

"  Impossibile  est  hominem  suis  pennis  ad  tam  praecelsum  coelestem 
praemium  subvolare,  nisi  eum  gratia  Domini  de  terrae  coena  evexerit." 
— De  Ccenob.  inst.  \.  6,  c.  6. 


262  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

advice  of  the  Wise  Man,"  says  Abelly,  "  we  should  pray 
to  God  with  our  whole  heart."  Hence  St.  Cyprian 
teaches  that  the  first  means  of  obtaining  chastity  is  to 
ask  it  of  God.2  And  before  him  Solomon  said:  And  as 
I  knew  that  I  could  not  otherwise  be  continent,  except  God  gave 
ity  and  this  also  was  a  point  of  wisdom,  to  know  whose  gift  it 
was  :  I  went  to  the  Lord,  and  besought  Him,  and  said  with  m\> 
whole  heart? 

We  should  then,  says  St.  Cyprian,  instantly  resist  the 
first  carnal  solicitations  with  which  the  devil  assails  us, 
and  not  permit  the  serpent,  that  is,  the  temptation,  to 
grow  strong.4  St.  Jerome  gives  this  same  advice:  "  You 
must  not  permit  bad  thoughts  to  grow  in  your  mind; 
no,  kill  the  enemy  when  he  is  small."  ''  It  is  easy  to  kill 
a  lion  when  he  is  small,  but  not  when  he  has  grown  to 
his  full  size. 

Let  us  guard  against  reasoning  with  temptations  con 
trary  to  chastity:  let  us  endeavor  instantly  to  banish 
them.  And,  as  the  spiritual  masters  teach,  the  best 
means  of  banishing  such  temptations  is  not  to  combat 
them  directly  face  to  face,  by  making  contrary  acts  of 
the  will,  but  to  get  rid  of  them  indirectly  by  acts  of  the 
love  of  God,  or  of  contrition,  or  at  least  by  turning  the 
mind  to  other  things. 

1  "  Idcirco,  juxta  Sapientis  monitum  (Wisd.  viii   21)  adeundus  est 
Dominus,  et  ex  totis    praecordiis   deprecandus." — Saceni.    Chr.   p.   5, 
c.  14. 

2  "  Inter  haec,  imo  et  ante  haec  omnia,  de  divinus  castris  auxilium 
petendum  est." — De  Disc,  et  Bono  pudic. 

3  "  Et  ut  scivi  quoniam  aliter  non  possem  esse  continens,  nisi  Deus 
det,  et  hoc  ipsum  erat  sapientiae,  scire  cujus  esset  hoc  donum,  adii 
Dominum,  et  deprecatus  sum  ilium,  et  dixi  ex  totis  praecordiis  meis." 
—  Wisd.  viii.  21. 

4  "  Primis    diaboli  titillationibus  obviandum  est,   nee  foveri  debet 
coluber  donee  in  draconem  formetur." — De  Jej.  et  Tent.  Chr. 

5  "  Nolo  sinas  cogitationem  crescere;  dum  parvus  est  hostis,  inter- 
fice." — Ep.  ad  Etistocli. 


INSTR.  in.]      The  Chastity  of  the  Priest.  263 

But  the  means  in  which  we  should  place  the  greatest 
confidence  is  prayer,  and  recommending  ourselves  to 
God.  It  is  useful,  as  soon  as  we  perceive  the  first 
motion  of  impurity,  to  renew  our  purpose  to  suffer 
death  rather  than  consent  to  sin,  and  immediately  after 
to  have  recourse  to  the  wounds  of  Jesus  Christ  for  aid. 
Thus  the  saints,  who  were  flesh,  and  subject  to  tempta 
tions,  have  acted,  and  thus  they  have  conquered.  "  If  I 
am  tormented,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  by  any  bad  thought, 
I  have  recourse  to  the  wounds  of  Jesus;  for  I  find  rest 
in  the  wounds  of  our  Saviour."  '  Thus,  also,  St.  Thomas 
of  Aquinas  repelled  the  attacks  of  the  woman  by  whom 
his  chastity  was  assailed:  "Do  not  permit,  O  Lord 
Jesus  and  O  most  holy  Virgin  Mary,  that  I  should  offend 
God  !"  exclaimed  the  saint.2 

It  is  also  very  useful  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross 
on  the  breast,  and  to  have  recourse  to  our  angel 
guardian  and  our  holy  patron.  But  above  all,  it  is 
useful  to  have  recourse  to  Jesus  Christ  and  the  divine 
Mother  by  instantly  invoking  their  most  holy  names, 
and  by  continuing  to  invoke  them  until  the  temptation 
is  beaten  down.  Oh  !  how  powerful  are  the  most  holy 
names  of  Jesus  and  Mary  against  the  attacks  of  impurity  ! 

Devotion  to  the  holy  Virgin,  who  is  called  "  the  Mother 
of  fair  love,  and  the  guardian  of  virginity,"  3  is  a  most 
useful  devotion  for  the  preservation  of  chastity.  And 
to  recite,  at  rising  in  the  morning  and  going  to  bed  at 
night,  three  "Hail  Marys,"  in  honor  of  the  purity  of 
Mary,  is  a  devotion  that  has  singular  efficacy  in  obtain 
ing  the  gift  of  continence. 

Father  Segneri 4  relates  that  a  sinner  addicted  to  the 

"Cum  me  pulsat  aliqua  turpis  cogitatio,  recurro  ad  vulnera 
Christi.  Tula  requies  in  vulneribus  Salvatoris." — Manual,  c.  22,  21. 

2  "  Ne  sinas,  Domine  Jesu,  et  Sanctissima  Virgo  Maria  !" — Surius, 
7  Mart. 

3  "  Mater  pulchrae  dilectionis  et  Gustos  virginitatis." 

4  Crist,  istr.  p.  3,  r.  34,  §  2. 


264  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

grossest  impurities  went  one  day  to  confession  to  Father 
Nicholas  Zucchi,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus.  The  Father 
prescribed  as  a  remedy  for  his  wicked  habits  that  he 
should  recommend  himself,  morning  and  evening,  to  the 
purity  of  Mary,  by  saying  three  "  Hail  Marys."  After 
the  lapse  of  several  years  the  sinner  returned  to  Father 
Zucchi,  and  by  his  confession  showed  that  all  his 
vices  were  perfectly  corrected.  The  Father  asked  him 
how  such  a  change  had  been  wrought.  He  answered 
that  through  the  little  devotion  of  saying  the  three 
"  Hail  Marys"  he  had  obtained  the  grace  to  change  his 
life. 

Father  Zucchi,  with  the  permission  of  the  penitent, 
mentioned  the  fact  from  the  pulpit.  There  was  a  soldier 
present  who  was  actually  in  the  habit  of  sins  of  impurity; 
he  began  to  say  every  day  the  three  "  Hail  Marys,"  and 
in  a  short  time,  with  the  aid  that  the  divine  Mother 
obtained  for  him,  he  soon  renounced  the  evil  habit. 
Through  a  false  zeal,  he  went  one  day  to  the  accomplice 
of  his  sins  in  order  to  convert  her;  but  when  he  was  on 
the  point  of  entering  her  house  he  was  suddenly  driven 
back,  and  found  himself  transported  to  a  considerable 
distance.  He  then  understood  that  he  had  been  pre 
vented  from  speaking  to  the  woman  by  a  special  grace 
obtained  for  him  by  Mary,  for  which  he  thanked  her. 
Had  he  been  placed  again  in  the  occasion  of  sin  he 
would  probably  have  relapsed.* 

*  This  double  example   is   related   with   some   other  details    in  the 
Glories  of  Mary,  p.  2,  Disc.  4  (Vol.  VII.  page  379). 


INSTR.  iv.]  Preaching.  265 


INSTRUCTION   IV. 

PREACHING,    AND    THE    ADMINISTRATION    OF    THE    SACRA 
MENT    OF    PENANCE. 

IF  all  preachers  and  confessors  fulfilled  the  obligations 
of  their  office  the  whole  world  would  be  sanctified.  Bad 
preachers  and  bad  confessors  are  the  ruin  of  the  world. 
By  bad  preachers  and  confessors  I  mean  those  that  do 
not  fulfil  their  duty  as  they  ought. 

We  shall  treat,  first,  of  the  preaching  of  the  divine 
word,  and  afterwards  of  the  administration  of  the  sac 
rament  of  penance. 

I. 
Preaching. 

By  preaching,  the  faith  has  been  propagated,  and  by 
the  same  means  God  wishes  it  to  be  preserved:  Faith 
cometh  by  hearing:  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  Christ?  But 
for  a  Christian,  it  is  not  enough  to  know  what  he  is 
obliged  to  do;  it  is,  moreover,  necessary  for  him,  by 
hearing  the  divine  word  from  time  to  time,  to  be  re 
minded  of  the  importance  of  eternal  salvation,  and  of 
the  means  which  he  ought  to  adopt  in  order  to  secure  it. 
Hence  the  following  command  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy: 
Preach  the  word,  be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season;  reprove, 
entreat,  rebuke  in  all  patience  and  doctrine.'1  And  the  same 
command  God  had  long  before  given  to  the  Prophets 
Isaias  and  Jeremias.  To  the  former  he  said:  Cry,  cease 

1  "  Fides  exauditu;  auditus  autem  perverbum  Christi." — Rom.  x.  17 

2  "  Praedica   verbum:    insta    opportune,   importune;   argue,  obsecra, 
increpa,  in  omni  patientia  et  doctrina." — 2  Tim.  iv.  2. 


266  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  IT. 

not  to  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  show  My  people 
their  wicked  doings?  To  the  latter:  Behold,  I  have  given 
My  words  in  thy  mouth:  lo,  I  have  set  thee  this  day  over  the 
nations,  and  over  kingdoms,  to  root  up  and  to  pull  down,  .  .  . 
to  build  and  to  plant?  The  same  command  he  has  also 
imposed  on  his  priests;  for  preaching  is  one  of  their 
principal  duties.  Going,  therefore,  teach  ye  all  nations, 
.  .  .  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you? 
And  should  a  sinner  be  damned  through  the  fault  of  him 
who  preaches  the  divine  word,  God  will  demand  an  ac 
count  of  the  priest  who  could  have  announced  the  truths 
of  salvation  to  that  lost  soul.  If,  when  I  say  to  the  wicked 
thou  shalt  surely  die,  thou  declare  it  not  to  him;  .  .  .  the  same 
wicked  man  shall  die  in  his  iniquity,  but  I  will  require  his 
blood  at  thy  hand? 

But,  to  save  souls,  it  is  not  enough  to  preach:  it  is,  as 
I  have  already  said,  necessary  to  preach  in  a  proper 
manner.  In  the  first  place,  in  order  to  preach  well 
learning  and  study  are  necessary.  He  who  preaches  at 
random  will  do  more  injury  than  service  to  religion.  In 
the  second  place,  an  exemplary  life  is  necessary.  The 
sermons  of  the  man  whose  conduct  excites  contempt 
shall  be  despised,  says  St.  Gregory.5  And  St.  John 
Chrysostom  writes:  "How  is  it  possible  fora  priest  to 
persuade  by  his  words,  when  his  acts  are  in  opposition 

1  "  Clama,  ne  cesses:  quasi  tuba,  exalta  vocem  tuam,  et  annuntia 
populo  meo  scelera  eorum." — Is.  Iviii.  i. 

a  "  Ecce  dedi  verba  mea  in  ore  tuo;  ecce  constitui  te  hodie  super 
gentes  et  super  regna,  ut  evellas,  et  destinas,  .  .  .  et  redifices,  et 
plantes." — Jer.  i.  9. 

3  "  Euntes  ergo,  docete  omnes   gentes  .   .  .  servare  omnia  qurecum 
que  mandavi  vobis." — Matt,  xxviii.  19. 

4  "  Si,  dicente  me  ad  impium:  Morte  morieris;  non  annuntiaveris  ei, 
.   .   .   ipse  impius  in  iniquitate  sua  morietur,  sanguinem  autem  ejus  de 
manu  tua  requiram." — Ezech.  iii.  18. 

5  "  Cujus  vita  despicitur,  restat  ut  ejus  prsedicatio  contemnatur." — In 
Evang.  horn.  12. 


INSTR.  iv.]  Preaching.  267 

to  his  doctrine."  '  The  preaching  of  such  a  man  shall 
serve  only  for  his  condemnation;  for  according  to  St. 
Paul,  he  who  reproves  in  others  what  he  does  himself, 
condemns  himself:  Thou  art  inexcusable,  O  man,  whosoever 
thou  art  that  judgest.  For  wherein  thou  judgest  another, 
thou  condemnest  thyself?  Justly,  then,  did  Father  John 
d'Avila  say  to  a  person  who  asked  what  rule  he  should 
follow  in  order  to  preach  well,  that  the  best  means  of 
preaching  well  was  to  love  Jesus  Christ  ardently.  '*  He," 
says  St.  Gregory,  "  who  is  not  on  fire  does  not  inflame."  J 
The  divine  love  must  first  burn  in  the  preacher,  that  he 
may  afterwards  kindle  it  in  others.  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
used  to  say  that  the  heart  speaks  to  the  heart.4  He 
meant,  that  words  alone  speak  to  the  ears,  but  do  not 
enter  the  soul.  He  only  who  speaks  from  the  heart, 
that  is,  he  who  feels  and  practises  what  he  preaches, 
shall  speak  to  the  heart  of  others,  and  shall  move  them 
to  the  love  of  God.  Hence,  according  to  the  words  of 
the  Redeemer,  that  which  ye  hear  in  the  ear,  preach  yc  on 
the  housetop?  The  preacher  must  have  an  affection  for 
mental  prayer,  in  which  he  may  excite  the  sentiments 
that  he  will  afterwards  communicate  to  others.  Mental 
prayer  is  the  blessed  furnace  in  which  sacred  orators  are 
inflamed  with  divine  love.  /;/  my  meditation,  says  David, 
a  fire  shall  flame  out?  Here  they  form  the  fiery  darts 
that  afterwards  wound  the  hearts  of  their  hearers. 

It  is  necessary  to  preach  with  a  good  intention,  that 
is,  not  for  temporal  interest,  but  for  the  glory  of  God^ 
not  to  attract  empty  praises,  but  to  procure  the  salva- 

1  "  Denegatis  in  opere,  quod  videmini  profited  in  verbo." — Horn.  40. 

2  "  Inexcusabilis  es,  o  homo  omnis  qui  judicas  !  in  quo  enim  judicas 
alterum,  teipsum  condemnas." — Rom.  ii.  i. 

3  "  Lucerna  quse  non  ardet,  non  accendit." — In  Ezech.  horn.  n. 

4  De  la  Pred.  ch.  5,  a.  I. 

6  "  Quod  in  aure  auditis,  praedicate  super  tecta." — Matt.  x.  27. 
6  "  In  meditatione  mea  exardescet  ignis." — Ps.  xxxviii.  4. 


268  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

tion  of  souls.  Hence,  as  the  Council  of  Trent  ordains, 
it  is  the  duty  of  preachers  to  preach  in  a  manner  accom 
modated  to  the  capacity  of  their  hearers:  "  Archpriests 
shall,  either  personally  or  by  others  who  are  competent, 
feed  the  people  committed  to  them."  ]  Empty  words 
and  sounding  periods  are,  says  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
the  pest  of  sermons. a  First,  because  God  does  not  co 
operate  with  vain  preaching.  Secondly,  because  the 
persons  who  are  present  at  sermons  are  generally  rude 
and  illiterate,  and  incapable  of  understanding  flowery 
discourses.  What  a  pity,  sometimes,  to  see  so  many  of 
the  poor  going  to  the  sermon,  and  afterwards  leaving 
the  church  afflicted  and  wearied,  without  having  under 
stood  almost  any  part  of  the  discourse.  Justly  has 
Father  John  d'Avila  said,  that  they  who  preach  in  a 
lofty  style,  not  intelligible  to  the  audience,  are  traitors 
to  Jesus  Christ;  and  that,  though  sent  by  him  to  procure 
his  glory,  they  seek  only  their  own  exaltation.  Justly, 
too,  has  Father  Caspar  Sanzio  said,  that  such  preachers 
are  at  the  present  day  the  greatest  persecutors  of  the 
Church,  because  by  their  sermons  they  are  the  cause  of 
the  perdition  of  many  souls  that  would  be  saved  by 
exhortations  composed  in  a  simple  and  apostolic  style. 
My  preaching,  says  the  Apostle,  was  not  in  the  persuasive 
words  of  human  wisdom,  but  in  showing  of  the  spirit  and 
power.3  In  the  lives  of  the  saints  who  were  employed  in 
saving  souls  I  find  many  praised  for  preaching  in  simple 
and  popular  language,  but  I  have  not  found  one  eulogized 
for  having  preached  in  a  labored  and  flowery  style. 
It  will  be  useful  to  abridge,  in  this  place,  what  the 

1  "  Archipresbyteri,  per  se  vel  per  alios  idoneos,  plebes  sibi  commis- 
sas,  pro  earum  capacitate,  pascent  Salutaribus  verbis." — Sess.  5,  de 
Ref.  c.  2. 

•  De  la  Predic.  ch.  5,  a.  I. 

3  ' '  Praedicatio  mea  non  in  persuasibilibus  humanae  sapientiae  verbis, 
sed  in  ostensione  spiritus  et  virtutis." — i  Cor.  ii.  4. 


INSTR.  iv.]  Preaching.  269 

learned  and  celebrated  Muratori  has  written  in  his 
golden  little  treatise  entitled  Popular  Eloquence. 

There  are,  he  says,  two  sorts  of  eloquence:  the  sublime, 
and  the  popular.  The  sublime  eloquence  directs  us  in 
the  composition  of  discourses  which  treat  of  lofty 
subjects,  contain  ingenious  reflections,  select  language, 
and  turned  periods.  With  the  aid  of  the  popular  elo 
quence  the  eternal  truths  are  expounded  nakedly,  sub 
jects  easily  understood  are  explained  in  a  simple  and 
familiar  style,  so  that  each  person  present  may  under 
stand  the  entire  instruction.  In  sermons,  we  address 
not  only  the  learned,  but  also  the  uninstructed,  and 
these  ordinarily  form  the  greater  part  of  the  audience. 
Hence  it  is  always  expedient  to  preach  in  a  simple, 
popular  style,  not  only  in  the  missions  and  spiritual  ex 
ercises,  but  also  in  all  sermons  addressed  to  the  people. 
In  the  sight  of  God,  the  souls  of  the  learned  and  un 
learned  are  equally  precious;  and,  according  to  the 
words  of  the  Apostle:  To  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise  I  am 
a  debtor?  The  preacher  is  obliged  to  seek  the  sanctifi- 
cation  of  the  latter  as  well  as  of  the  former.  Besides, 
even  to  the  learned,  sermons  composed  in  a  simple  and 
familiar  style  are  more  profitable  than  discourses  written 
in  lofty  and  florid  language.  For  in  sublime  discourses 
the  mind  stops  to  admire  and  criticise  (and  this  frequent 
ly  happens);  but  the  will  is  left  without  food,  and  de 
rives  no  profit  from  the  sermon.  Father  Paul  Segneri, 
Junior,  by  preaching  in  a  popular  manner  ravished 
(these  are  the  words  of  Muratori)  the  hearts  even  of 
the  learned.  The  same  was  the  result  of  the  sermons  of 
St.  John  Francis  Regis. 

He  who  wishes  to  preach,  not  for  the  purpose  of  ac 
quiring  praise,  but  of  gaining  souls  to  God,  should  not 
seek  to  hear  others  say:  Oh,  what  beautiful  thoughts! 
What  a  splendid  speaker!  What  a  great  man  !  But  he 
1  "  Sapientibus  et  insipientibus  debitor  sum." — Rom*  i.  14. 


2  70  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

should  desire  to  see  all  going  away  with  their  heads 
bowed  down,  weeping  over  their  sins,  resolved  to  change 
their  lives,  and  to  give  themselves  to  God.  The  end  of 
true  rhetoric  is  to  persuade  and  move  the  audience  to 
practise  what  is  inculcated  in  the  discourse.  Even  in 
popular  eloquence,  preachers  avail  themselves  of  the  art 
of  rhetoric,  of  figures,  of  the  arrangement  of  the  argu 
ments,  of  the  language,  of  the  peroration.  But  all  must 
be  done  simply  and  without  show  of  art,  in  order  to 
reap  not  applause,  but  fruit.  If  in  such  sermons  the 
audience  are  not  delighted  by  elegant  language  and  in 
genious  reflections,  they  shall  certainly  be  pleased  to 
find  themselves  enlightened  and  moved  to  attend  to 
what  alone  is  important — their  eternal  salvation. 

And  what  has  been  said  is,  according  to  Muratori, 
applicable  to  sermons  preached  in  cities,  where  the 
audience  consists  of  the  ignorant  and  the  learned;  but 
he  adds,  that  in  addressing  the  common  people  or  the 
inhabitants  of  the  villages  the  preacher  must  adopt  the 
most  popular  and  lowest  kind  of  eloquence,  in  order  to 
accommodate  his  instruction  to  their  weak  understand 
ing.  He  must  imagine  himself  to  be  one  of  them,  and 
that  another  is  anxious  to  instruct  him  in  some  duty 
and  to  persuade  him  to  fulfil  it.  Hence  his  language 
ought  to  be  popular  and  common,  the  periods  short  and 
unconnected,  imitating  the  very  mode  of  reasoning  that 
such  persons  usually  adopt  among  themselves.  In  a 
word,  the  whole  study  of  the  preacher  should  be  to 
make  the  audience  understand  ali  he  says,  and  to  move 
his  hearers  most  effectually  to  do  what  he  exhorts  them 
to  practise.  And  as  the  preacher  should  adopt  a  familiar 
style,  so  he  should  also  select  subjects  easily  understood; 
omitting  scholastic  points  and  ingenious  interpretations 
of  Scripture,  which  though  intelligible  will  be  unprofit 
able  to  the  poor  and  illiterate.  The  great  object  should 
be  to  explain  nakedly  and  simply  the  eternal  truths, 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  271 

the  importance  of  salvation,  and  to  lay  before  the  people 
the  illusions  of  the  devil,  the  dangers  of  perdition,  and 
the  means  to  be  adopted  in  some  particular  cases  that 
may  occur.  In  this  consists  the  breaking  of  bread  to 
the  little  ones,  which  the  Lord  demands  of  preachers, 
and  of  the  general  neglect  of  which  he  complains:  The 
little  ones  have  asked  for  bread,  and  there  was  none  to  break  it 
unto  them.1  In  speaking  to  the  uninstructed,  it  is  also 
very  useful  to  ask  questions  from  time  to  time,  and  to 
reply  to  them.  It  is  useful  to  bring  forward  examples 
of  the  saints,  or  examples  of  punishments  inflicted  on 
sinners.  But  above  all,  it  is  useful  to  inculcate  things 
which  are  practical,  and  to  repeat  them  several  times, 
that  they  may  remain  impressed  on  the  weak  under 
standing  of  the  poor. 

Such  the  doctrine  of  Muratori,  which  I  have  here 
abridged  in  order  to  show  that  the  sacred  orators  who 
preach  in  a  high  and  florid  style  to  the  poor,  who  gen 
erally  compose  the  audiences  in  our  churches,  receive 
even  from  the  learned  censure  rather  than  praise. 

This  is  enough  on  preaching  the  divine  word.  I  hope 
hereafter,  in  treating  of  the  exercises  of  the  mission,  to 
subjoin  other  reflections  on  the  manner  of  preaching  to 
be  adopted  in  the  missions,  and  on  the  method  of 
arranging  the  sermons.  Let  us  now  pass  to  the  admin 
istration  of  the  sacrament  of  penance. 

II. 
The  Administration  of  the  Sacrament  of  Penance. 

i.  GRAVE  RESPONSIBILITY  OF  CONFESSORS. 
The  great  Pontiff,  St.  Pius  V.,  said:  "  Give  us  fit  con 
fessors,  and  surely  the  whole  of  Christianity  will  be  re 
formed."  2     He  who  wishes  to  be  a  good  confessor  must, 

1  "Parvuli  petierunt  panem,  et  non  erat  qui  frangeret  eis." — Lam. 
iv.  4. 

2  "  Dentur  idonei  confessarii;  ecce  omnium  Christianorum  plena  re- 
lormatio." 


272  Material  for  Instructions.  IPART  n. 

in  the  first  place,  consider  that  the  office  of  a  confessor 
is  very  difficult  and  dangerous,  and  that  on  account  of 
its  difficulty  and  danger  the  Council  of  Trent  has  called 
it  an  office  to  be  dreaded  even  by  angels.1  And  what, 
says  St.  Laurence  Justinian,  can  be  more  perilous  than 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  rendering  to  God  an 
account  of  the  life  of  others?2  St.  Gregory  says  that 
no  error  is  more  dangerous  than  that  which  is  com 
mitted  in  the  direction  of  souls.3  It  is  certain  that  if 
a  soul  be  lost  through  the  fault  of  her  confessor,  God 
will  demand  of  him  an  account  of  that  soul:  /  will 
require  My  flock  at  their  hand?  And  the  Apostle  writes: 
Obey  your  prelates,  .  .  .  for  they  watch,  as  being  to  render 
an  account  of  your  souls*  Hence,  according  to  St.  Greg 
ory,  a  confessor  has  to  render  to  God  an  account  of  as 
many  souls  as  he  has  penitents.6  And  St.  John  Chry- 
sostom  says:  "  If  we  already  tremble  having  to  render 
an  account  of  our  own  sins,  what  awaits  him  who  has  to 
render  an  account  of  so  many  souls  ?"  7 

This  is  not  applicable  to  those  good  priests  who,  pene 
trated  with  a  holy  fear,  labor  to  qualify  themselves  for 
this  great  office,  and  afterwards  devote  themselves  to 
the  exercise  of  it,  through  the  sole  desire  of  bringing 
souls  to  God.  It  is  intended  only  for  those  who  under 
take  to  hear  confessions  through  worldly  motives,  or 

1  "  Onus  angelicis  humeris  formidandum." — Sess.  6,  de  Rcf.  c.  i. 

2  "  Periculosa  res  est,  pro  peccatoribus  se  fidejussorem  constituere." 
— DC  Inst.  Free  I.  c.  6. 

3  "  Nullibi  periculosius  erratur." 

4  "  Requiram  gregem  meum  de  manu  eorum. " — Ezech.  xxxiv.  10. 

6  "  Obedite  praepositis  vestris,  et  subjacete  eis;  ipsi  enim  pervigilant, 
quasi  rationem  pro  animabus  vestris  reddituri." — Heb.  xiii.  17. 

6  "  Quot  regendis  subditis  praeest,  reddendae  apud  eum  rationis  tern- 
pore,  ut  ita  dicam,  tot  solus  animas  habet." — Moral.  \.  24,  c.  30. 

7  "  Si  horremus,   dum   peccatorum   propriorum    rationem    reddituri 
sumus,  quid  illi  expectandum  est,  qui  tarn  multorum  nomine  causam  sit 
dicturus  ?." — De  Sacerd.  1.  3. 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  273 

temporal  interest,  or  self-esteem,  or,  as  sometimes  hap 
pens,  without  the  necessary  learning. 

2.  THE  KNOWLEDGE  REQUIRED  TO  HEAR  CONFESSIONS  WELL. 

St.  Laurence  Justinian  says:  "  Many  graces  and  not  a 
little  knowledge  is  needed  by  him  who  desires  to  raise 
souls  to  life."  He,  then,  who  wishes  to  hear  confes 
sions,  stands  in  need  of  extensive  knowledge.  Some 
imagine  the  science  of  Moral  Theology  to  be  easy,  but 
Gerson  justly  says  that  it  is  the  most  difficult  of  all 
sciences.  And  before  him  St.  Gregory  said:  "The 
directing  of  souls  is  the  art  of  arts."2  St.  Gregory 
Nazianzen  writes:  "  To  direct  men  seems  to  me  to  be 
the  greatest  of  all  sciences."  :  St.  Francis  de  Sales  also 
used  to  say  that  the  office  of  confessor  is  of  all  offices 
the  most  important  and  the  most  difficult.  It  is  the 
most  important,  because  on  it  depends  the  eternal  sal 
vation  of  souls,  which  is  the  end  of  all  the  sciences.  It 
is  the  most  difficult,  because  the  science  of  Moral  The 
ology  requires  a  knowledge  of  many  other  sciences,  and 
embraces  an  immense  variety  of  matter.  It  is  also  most 
difficult,  because  different  decisions  must  be  given,  ac 
cording  to  the  different  circumstances  of  the  cases  that 
occur;  for,  a  principle  by  which  a  case  involving  a  cer 
tain  circumstance  may  be  decided  will  not  answer  for 
the  solution  of  another  case  containing  a  different  cir 
cumstance. 

Some  disdain  to  read  the  works  of  the  moralists,  saying 
that  to  hear  confessions  is  enough  to  know  the  general 
principles  of  Moral  Theology,  by  which,  they  add,  the 
particular  cases  may  be  resolved.  I  answer:  It  is  cer 
tain  that  all  cases  must  be  decided  by  means  of  prin 
ciples,  but  there  is  great  difficulty  in  applying  to  par- 

"  Gratia  indiget  plurima,  et  sapientia  non  modica,  qui  proximorum 
animas  ad  vitam  resuscitate  conatur. " — De  Compunct.  p.  2. 

2  "  Ars  est  artium  regimen  animarurn." — Past.  p.  i,  c.  i. 

3  "  Scientiascientiarum  mihi  esse  videturhominem  regere."— ApoL  i. 

18 


274  Material  for  Instructions.          IPART  n. 

ticular  cases  just  principles  of  solution.  This  the 
moralists  have  done.  They  have  labored  to  explain  the 
principles  by  which  many  particular  cases  may  be  re 
solved.  Besides,  at  present  there  is  a  great  number  of 
positive  laws  contained  in  the  bulls  and  decrees  of 
Pontiffs,  as  well  as  in  the  ancient  canons,  and  which  a 
confessor  is  obliged  to  know.  Of  these  laws  he  who 
neglects  to  read  Moral  Theology  shall  scarcely  be  able 
to  acquire  a  competent  knowledge.  The  learned  author 
of  The  Instruction  for  Young  Confessors  justly  says  that 
many  divines  are  as  deficient  in  Moral  Theology  as  they 
are  profound  in  the  speculative  sciences.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  Monsignor  Sperelli  asserts  that  it  is  a  great 
error  in  some  confessors  to  devote  all  their  time  to 
scholastic  theology,  considering  the  study  of  Moral 
Theology  as  lost  time,  Such  confessors,  as  he  says,  are 
afterwards  unable  to  distinguish  one  sin  from  another. 
He  then  adds:  "  This  is  an  error  that  will  cause  eternal 
ruin  both  to  the  confessor  and  to  the  penitents."  ' 

We  must,  then,  be  persuaded  that  to  hear  confessions 
great  science  and  also  great  prudence  are  required;  for 
with  knowledge  without  prudence  a  confessor  shall  do 
but  little  good,  and  to  some  his  ministry  will  be  more 
injurious  than  beneficial. 

3.  CHARITY  AND  FIRMNESS  THAT  THE  CONFESSOR  SHOULD  HAVE. 

Sanctity  is  still  more  necessary,  on  account  of  the 
great  fortitude  which  a  confessor  requires  in  the  exercise 
of  his  ministry.  "  Only  he  that  is  a  great  saint,"  says  St. 
Laurence  Justinian,  "can  without  injury  to  himself 
occupy  himself  with  the  care  of  souls."5 

I.  A  confessor  requires  a  great  fund  of  charity  in  re- 

1  "  Qui  error  confessarios  simui  et  poenitentes  in  aeternum  interitum 
trahet." 

2  "  Nemo,  nisi  valde  sanctus,   absque  sui  detrimento,   proximorum 
curis  occupatur." — De  Casio  Conn.  c.  12. 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  275 

ceiving  all — the  poor,  the  ignorant,  and  the  vicious. 
Some  hear  the  confessions  only  of  pious  persons;  but 
when  a  poor  peasant  comes  with  a  conscience  loaded 
with  sins,  they  hear  him  with  impatience,  and  send  him 
away  with  reproaches.  Hence  the  miserable  man,  who 
must  have  done  great  violence  to  himself  in  resolving 
to  go  to  confession,  seeing  himself  dismissed  in  such  a 
manner,  will  conceive  a  horror  for  the  sacrament,  and  a 
dread  of  approaching  it  any  more,  and  thus,  through 
despair,  will  abandon  himself  to  a  dissolute  life.  To 
such  confessors  the  Redeemer  (who  came  to  save  sin 
ners,  and  was  therefore  full  of  charity)  says  what  he 
said  to  his  disciples:  You  know  not  of  what  spirit  you 
are.'  But  such  is  not  the  conduct  of  confessors  who,  in 
obedience  to  the  exhortation  of  the  Apostle,  put  on  the 
bowels  of  charity:  Put  ye  on,  therefore,  as  the  elect  of  God, 
.  .  .  the  bowels  of  mercy?  When  a  sinner  comes  to  con 
fession,  the  more  abandoned  he  is,  the  more  they  labor 
to  assist  him,  and  the  greater  the  charity  with  which 
they  treat  him.  You  are  not,  says  Hugo  of  St.  Victor, 
appointed  judges  of  crimes,  to  chastise,  but,  as  it  were, 
judges  of  maladies  to  heal.":  It  is  indeed  necessary  to 
admonish  the  sinner,  in  order  to  make  him  understand 
his  miserable  state,  and  the  danger  of  damnation  to 
which  he  is  exposed;  but  he  must  be  always  admonished 
with  charity,  he  must  be  excited  to  confidence  in  the 
divine  mercy,  and  must  be  taught  the  means  by  which 
he  may  amend  his  life.  And  though  the  confessor 
should  be  obliged  to  defer  absolution,  he  ought  to  dis 
miss  the  penitent  with  sweetness;  fixing  a  day  for  him 
to  return,  and  pointing  out  the  remedies  that  he  must 

1  "  Nescitis  cujus  spiritus  estis." — Ltike,  ix.  55. 

2  "  Induite  vos  ergo,  sicut  elect!  Dei,  sancti  et  dilecti,  viscera  miseri 
cord  iae." — Col.  iii.  12. 

3  "Vos  non,  quasi  judices  criminum,  ad  percutiendum  positi  estis, 
sed,  quasi  judices  morborum,  ad  sanandum." — Misc.  1.  I,  tit.  49. 


2  76  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n 

practise  in  the  mean  time,  in  order  to  prepare  himself 
for  absolution.  Sinners  are  saved  in  this  way,  but  not 
by  harshness  and  reproaches,  which  drive  them  to  de 
spair.  St.  Francis  de  Sales  used  to  say:  "  More  flies  are 
caught  by  a  drop  of  honey  than  by  a  pound  of  aloes." 
But  some  will  say,  if  we  treat  sinners  in  this  manner  a 
great  deal  of  our  time  will  be  taken  up,  and  others  who 
are  waiting  cannot  be  heard.  But  in  answer  I  say,  that 
it  is  better  to  hear  one  confession  well  than  to  hear  a 
great  number  imperfectly.  But  the  most  appropriate 
answer  is,  that  the  confessor  has  not  to  give  an  account 
to  God  of  the  persons  who  are  waiting,  but  only  of  the 
person  whose  confession  he  has  begun  to  hear. 

II.  The  confessor  also  stands  in  need  of  great  for 
titude,  and  at  first  in  hearing  the  confessions  of  women. 
How  many  priests  have  lost  their  souls  in  hearing  these 
confessions!  We  must  treat  in  the  confessional  with 
young  girls  and  young  women;  we  must  hear  their 
temptations  and  often  the  avowal  of  their  falls;  for  they 
also  are  of  flesh  and  blood.  We  have  a  natural  affec 
tion  for  persons  of  the  other  sex,  and  this  affection  in 
creases  whenever  they  confide  to  us  their  miseries.  But 
if  these  persons  are  pious,  devoted  to  spirituality,  says 
St.  Thomas,  the  danger  of  an  inordinate  attachment  is 
yet  greater,  since  this  natural  affection  is  still  more 
strongly  attracted;  but,  continues  the  saint,  if  mutual 
affection  increases,  the  attachment  wrill  also  increase  in 
the  same  proportion;  it  will  assume  at  first  the  appear 
ance  of  piety,  and  the  devil  will  easily  succeed  in  mak 
ing  "  the  spiritual  devotion  change  into  carnal  devo 
tion."  1 

Great  fortitude  is  necessary  in  correcting  penitents 
and  in  refusing  absolution  to  those  who  have  not  the 
requisite  dispositions,  without  any  regard  to  their  rank 
or  power,  or  to  the  loss  or  injury  which  the  confessor 

1  "  Spiritualis  devotio  convertatur  in  carnalem." — De  Modo  con  fit. 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  277 

may  sustain,  or  to  the  imputations  of  indiscretion  or  of 
ignorance  which  may  be  cast  upon  him.  Seek  not,  says 
the  Holy  Ghost,  to  be  made  a  judge  unless  thoit  hast  strength 
enough  to  extirpate  iniquities,  lest  thou  fear  the  person  of  the 
powerful?  A  Father  of  our  Congregation  had  occasion 
to  hear  in  the  sacristy  the  confession  of  a  priest,  whom  he 
refused  to  absolve.  The  priest,  rising  up  in  a  proud  and 
haughty  manner,  said  to  him:  "  Begone  !  you  are  a 
brute."  But  there  is  no  remedy:  poor  confessors  must 
submit  to  such  inconveniences  and  insults.  For  it  often 
happens  that  they  are  bound  to  refuse  or  to  defer  abso 
lution,  either  because  the  penitent  will  not  do  what  they 
require  of  him,  or  because  he  is  a  relapsing  sinner,  or 
because  he  is  in  the  proximate  occasion  of  sin.  And 
here  it  is  necessary  to  examine  how  a  confessor  should 
treat  relapsing  sinners,  and  those  who  are  in  the  occa 
sion  of  sin.  For,  in  order  to  save  his  penitents,  the  con 
fessor  should  attend  with  the  greatest  care  to  relapsing 
sinners,  and  to  those  who  are  in  the  occasion  of  sin. 

But,  before  we  enter  on  this  subject,  it  is  necessary  to 
remark,  that  a  confessor  exposes  himself  to  as  much 
danger  of  damnation  by  treating  his  penitents  with  too 
much  rigor  as  he  does  by  treating  them  with  excessive 
indulgence. 

Too  much  indulgence,  says  St.  Bonaventure,  begets 
presumption,  and  too  much  rigor  leads  to  despair.2 
There  is  no  doubt  that  many  err  by  being  too  indulgent: 
and  such  persons  cause  great  havoc — and  I  say  even 
the  greatest  havoc;  for  libertines,  who  are  the  most 
numerous  class,  go  in  crowds  to  these  lax  confessors, 

"  Noli  quaerere  fieri  judex,  nisi  valeas  virtute  irrumpere  iniquitates, 
ne  forte  extimescas  faciem  potentis." — Ecdus.  vii.  6. 

2  "  Cavenda  est  conscientia  nimis  larga,  et  nimis  stricta;  nam  prima 
generat  praesumptionem,  secunda  desperationem.  Prima  saepe  salvat 
damnandum;  secunda,  e  contra,  damnat  salvandum.'' — Comp.  theol.  1.  2, 
c.  52. 


278  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

and  find  in  them  their  own  perdition.  But  it  is  also 
certain  that  confessors  who  are  too  rigid  cause  great 
evil.  You  ruled  over  them  with  rigor,  and  with  a  high  hand. 
And  My  sheep  were  scattered?  etc.  Too  much  rigor,  says 
Gerson,  serves  only  to  bring  souls  to  despair,  and  from 
despair  to  the  abyss  of  vice.2  Hence  he  says  in  another 
place:  "  The  Doctors  of  theology  should  not,  if  they  are 
not  certain,  be  so  ready  to  assert  that  certain  sins  are 
mortal  sins."  3  Such  also  is  the  doctrine  of  St.  Raymond. 
"  Do  not  be  so  prone,"  says  the  saint,  "  to  declare  mor 
tal  sins,  unless  it  be  clear  from  Scripture." 4  St.  Antonine 
teaches  the  same.  "  It  is  very  dangerous,"  he  says,  "  to 
decide  whether  or  not  something  is  mortal,  if  this  be  not 
clear  from  the  authority  of  Scripture,  of  a  canon,  or  of  an 
evident  reason. "'  For,  as  the  saint  adds,  he  who,  with 
out  some  of  the  above-mentioned  grounds,  pronounces 
an  action  to  be  a  mortal  sin,  exposes  souls  to  the  danger 
of  damnation.6  Speaking  of  the  vain  ornaments  of 
women  the  same  holy  archbishop  says:  "  From  what 
has  been  said  it  seems  that  we  must  conclude  that  if  the 
confessor  clearly  and  undoubtedly  sees  that  one  cannot 
use  such  an  ornament  without  mortal  sin,  he  cannot 
give  absolution  if  the  penitent  does  not  take  the  resolu- 

1  "  Cum  austeritate  imperabitis  eis,  et  cum  potentia;  et  dispersae  sunt 
oves  meae." — Ezech.  xxxiv.  4. 

2  "  Per  tales  assertiones  nimis  duras  et  strictas,    praesertim  in  non 
certissimis,  nequaquam  eruuntur  homines  aluto  peccatorum,  sed  in  illud 
profundius,  quia  desperatius,  immerguntur." 

3  "  Doctores  theologi  ne  sint  faciles  asserere  actiones  aliquas  aut  omis- 
siones  esse  mortalia,  praesertim.  in  non  certissimis." — De  Vita.  sp.  led. 
4,  cor.  ii. 

4  "  Non  sis  nimis  pronus  judicare  mortalia  peccata,  ubi  tibi  non  con- 
stat  per  certam  Scripturam." — Stimm.  1.  3,  de  Pcenit.  §  21. 

5  "  Quoestio  qua  quaeritur  de  aliquo  actu  utrum  sit  peccatum  mortale 
vel  non,  nisi  ad  hoc  habeatur  auctoritas  expressa  Scripturae   sacrae,  aut 
canonis,  seu  determinationis  Ecclesiae,  vel  evidens  ratio,  non  nisipericu- 
losissime  determinatur." — P.  2,  tit.  i,  c.  n,  §  28. 

6  "^Edificat  ad  gehennam." 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  279 

tion  to  avoid  such  a  sin.  But  if  one  does  not  clearly  see 
whether  this  is  a  mortal  sin,  one  must  not  hasten  to  a 
decision  by  either  refusing  absolution  or  by  representing 
it  to  the  penitent  as  a  mortal  sin.  If  the  penitent  should 
afterwards  do  the  same  thing,  it  would  be  for  him  a  mor 
tal  sin,  even  if  it  were  in  itself  no  mortal  sin;  for  every 
thing  that  is  against  conscience  exposes  the  soul  to 
damnation.  And  since  one  should  use  his  power  rather 
to  loosen  than  to  bind,  and  it  is  better  to  have  to  give 
an  account  to  the  Lord  for  too  great  mercy  than  too 
great  rigor,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  teaches,  it  seems  to 
be  better  to  absolve  such  penitents  and  to  leave  them  to 
the  divine  judgment."  l  Silvester  teaches  the  same  doc 
trine;  he  says:  "I  say  with  St.  Antonine,  that  one  may 
with  a  good  conscience  choose  an  opinion  and  act  accord 
ing  to  it,  if  he  has  on  his  side  notable  teachers,  and  if  it 
is  not  opposed  to  any  decision  of  Scripture,  of  the 
Church,  etc."2  And  this  is  also  the  opinion  of  John 
Nider,  who,  after  giving  the  opinion  of  Doctor  William, 
quotes  the  passage  of  Bernard  of  Clermont  or  of  Gan- 
nat  of  Auvergne:  "  If  among  the  masters  of  sacred 

1  "  Ex  prsedictis   igitur  videtur  dicendum   quod,  ubi   in   hujusmodi 
ornatibus  confessor  inveniat  clare  et   indubitanter  mortale,  talem  non 
absolvat,  nisi  proponat  abstinere  a  tali  crimine.      Si  vero  non  potest 
clare  perspicere  utrum  sit  mortale  vel  veniale,  non  videtur  tune  prae- 
cipitanda   sententia   (ut   dicit  Gulielmus  specie   in  quadam  simili),  ut 
scilicet  deneget  propter  hoc  absolutionem,  vel  illi  faciat  conscientiam 
de  mortali;  quia,  faciendo  postea  contra  illud,  etiamsi  illud  non  esset 
mortale,   ei  erit   mortale,    quia   omne  quod   est   contra   conscientiam, 
aedificat    ad    gehennam.     Et   cum   promptiora  sint  jura  ad  solvendum 
quam  ad  ligandum  (Can.  Ponderet,  dist.  i),  et  melius  sit  Domino  reddere 
rationem   de   nimia   misericordia   quam  de   nimia   severitate,  ut   dicit 
Chrysostomus  (Can.  Alligant,  26,  q.  7),  potius  videtur  absolvendum  et 
divino  examini  dimittendum." — P.  2,  tit.  4,  c.  5,  §  8. 

2  "  Dico,    secundum    Archiepiscopum,   quod   tuta   conscientia  potest 
quis   eligere    unam    opinionem,  et   secundum    earn    operari,   si    habeat 
notabiles  doctores,  et  non  sit  expresse  contra  determinationem  Scrip 
ture  vel  Ecclesiae,  etc." — Sum?na,  verbo  Scrupulus,  5°- 


280  Material  for  Instructions..          [PART  n 

science  some  say  that  there  is  a  mortal  sin  and  others 
deny  that  it  is,  then  we  must  consult  some  learned  and 
prudent  persons  in  whom  we  have  confidence,  and  after 
having  taken  their  advice  we  must  decide  whether  or 
not  there  is  a  sin.  For  the  moment  that  the  masters 
discuss  among  themselves  and  the  Church  has  not  given 
any  decision,  one  may  freely  embrace  that  opinion  in 
favor  of  which  we  can  cite  the  testimony  of  wise  and  pru 
dent  persons.  ' 1  And  this  is  conformable  to  the  teaching 
of  St.  Thomas.  "  He  who  adopts  the  opinion  of  a  particu 
lar  Doctor  against  a  formal  text  of  Scripture  or  against 
the  universal  sentiment  of  the  Church,  cannot  be  excused 
from  culpable  error."2  Then,  according  to  the  angelic 
Doctor,  a  person  is  excused  from  error  when  the  opinion 
that  he  holds  rests  on  the  foundation  of  authority,  and 
is  not  opposed  to  any  clear  passage  of  Scripture  or  to 
any  definition  of  the  Church.  Finally,  the  same  doc 
trine  has  been  laid  down  more  clearly  by  Gabriel  Biel, 
who  flourished  in  the  year  1480.  "  The  opinion,"  he  says. 
"  that  is  more  probable  to  me  is,  that  we  must  never 
condemn  as  a  mortal  sin  anything  for  which  we  cannot 
allege  either  a  very  evident  reason  or  the  formal  testi 
mony  of  Scripture."  : 

1  "  Concordat  etiam  Bernardus  Claramontensis,  dicens:  Si  sunt  opini- 
ones  inter  magnos  dicentes  quod  peccatum  est,  alii  vero  dicunt  quod 
non,  tune  debet  consulere  aliquos,  de  quorum  judicio  confidit,  et  secun- 
dum  consilium  discretorum  facere,  et  peccatum  reputare  vel  non  re 
putare;  ex  quo  enim  opiniones  sunt  inter  magnos,  et  Ecclesia  non  de- 
terminavit  alteram  pattern,  teneat  quam  voluerit,  dummodo  judicium  in 
hoc  resideat  propter  dicta  eorum  saltern  quos  reputat  peritos." — ConsoL 
tim.  consc.  p.  3,  c.  12. 

'2  "  Qui  ergo  assentit  opinioni  alicujus  magistri,  contra  manifestum 
Scripturae  testimonium,  sive  contra  id  quod  publice  tenetur  secundum 
Ecclesiae  auctoritatem,  non  potest  ab  erroris  vitio  excusari." — Quodlib. 
3,  a.  10. 

3  "  Prima  opinio  videtur  probabilior,  quia  nihil  debet  damnari  tam- 
quam  mortale  peccatum,  de  quo  non  habetur  evidens  ratio  vel  manifesta 
auctoritas  Scripturae." — In  4  Sent.  d.  16,  q.  4,  concl.  5. 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  281 


4.    HOW   TO    ACT   IN   REGARD    TO    THOSE    LIVING    IN   THE    OCCASION  OF 
SlN   AND    THOSE   WHO   ARE    RELAPSING   SlNNERS. 

But  let  us  come  to  particulars,  and  examine  how  a 
confessor  ought  to  treat  persons  who  are  in  the  proxi 
mate  occasion  of  sin,  and  habitual  sinners  who  relapse 
into  any  vice.  With  regard  to  those  who  are  in  the 
occasion  of  sin,  it  is  necessary  first  to  distinguish  various 
kinds  of  occasions. 

I.  The  occasion  may  be  remote  or  proximate.  The  re 
mote  occasion  is  that  in  which  a  person  rarely  sins  or 
in  which  men,  commonly  speaking,  seldom  fall.  The 
occasion  that  is  itself1  proximate  is  that  in  which  men 
always,  or  nearly  always,  fall.  The  occasion  that  is 
proximate  by  accident,2  or  the  respective  occasion,  is 
that  in  which  a  particular  person  frequently  sins.  This 
is  the  correct  definition  of  the  respective  occasion,  ac 
cording  to  the  true  and  common  opinion  of  theologians, 
in  opposition  to  those  who  hold  that  the  proximate 
occasion  is  that  in  which  a  person  always,  or  nearly 
always,  yields  to  sin.  The  occasion  of  sin  is  also  divided 
into  voluntary  and  necessary.  The  occasion  is  voluntary 
when  it  can  be  removed;  it  is  necessary  when  it  cannot 
be  avoided  without  grievous  loss  or  grievous  scandal  to 
others. 

Many  theologians  say  that  he  who  is  in  the  voluntary 
proximate  occasion  may  be  absolved  once  or  twice,  pro 
vided  he  has  a  firm  purpose  of  removing  it  as  soon  as 
possible.  But  here  it  is  'necessary  to  distinguish,  with 
St.  Charles  Borromeo,  in  his  Instructions  to  Confessors, 
occasions  that  are  in  esse, — such  as  when  a  person  keeps 
a  concubine  in  his  house, — from  those  that  are  not  in  esse, 
such  as  when  in  gaming  or  conversation  a  person  falls 
into  blasphemies,  quarrels,  and  the  like. 

In  the  occasions  that  are  not  in  esse,  St.  Charles  says 
1  "Per  se."  2  "  Per  accidens." 


282  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

that  the  penitent  who  sincerely  promises  to  renounce 
them  may  be  absolved  the  second  or  third  time,  but 
unless  he  afterwards  gives  proof  of  amendment  he 
should  not  be  absolved  until  he  has  actually  removed 
the  occasion.  In  the  occasions  which  are  in  esse  the 
saint  says  that  a  promise  is  not  sufficient,  and  that  the 
penitent  cannot  be  absolved  until  he  has  taken  away 
the  occasion  of 'sin.  Ordinarily  speaking,  this  opinion 
should  certainly  be  followed;  as  I  have  shown  in  my 
Moral  Theology1  by  the  authority  of  many  authors.  A 
penitent  who  wishes  to  receive  absolution  before  the  re 
moval  of  such  an  occasion  is  not  disposed  for  the  sacra 
ment;  because  he  is  in  the  proximate  danger  of  violating 
his  purpose  as  well  as  the  obligation  by  which  he  is 
bound  under  pain  of  mortal  sin  to  remove  the  occasion. 
To  take  away  proximate  occasions  is  very  painful  and 
difficult,  and  can  be  effected  only  by  doing  great  vio 
lence  to  one's  self.  But  he  who  has  already  received 
absolution  will  scarcely  offer  such  violence  to  himself. 
Freed  from  the  fear  of  being  deprived  of  absolution,  he 
will  flatter  himself  with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  resist 
temptations  without  taking  away  the  occasion;  and 
thus  remaining  in  the  occasion,  he  will  certainly  relapse. 
This  we  know  by  the  experience  of  so  many  miserable 
sinners  who,  after  receiving  absolution  from  over-indul 
gent  confessors,  neglect  to  remove  the  occasion  of  sin: 
thus  they  fall  back,  and  become  worse  than  before. 
Hence,  on  account  of  the  danger  of  violating  the  pur 
pose  that  he  has  made  of  removing  the  occasion  of  sin, 
the  penitent  who  wishes  to  be  absolved  before  he  takes 
it  away  is  not  disposed  for  absolution,  and  therefore  the 
confessor  who  absolves  him  is  certainly  guilty  of  sin. 
And  here  let  it  be  observed,  that,  generally  speaking, 
the  greater  the  rigor  with  which  the  confessor  treats  his 
penitents,  when  there  is  question  of  the  danger  of  for- 
1  Theol.  Mor.  1.  6,  n.  454. 


INSTR.  iv.]     .  The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  283 

mal  sins,  particularly  against  chastity,  the  more  he  will 
pro-mote  their  sanctification.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  greater  his  indulgence,  the  greater  his  cruelty  to 
their  souls.  St.  Thomas  of  Villanova  says  that  con 
fessors  who  are  too  indulgent  are  impiously  merciful.1 
Such  charity  is  contrary  to  charity. 

I  have  said  ordinarily  speaking  j  for  in  some  rare  cases 
the  confessor  may  absolve  before  the  occasion  is  re 
moved.  For  example,  if  the  penitent  had  evinced  a 
strong  determination  to  amend  his  life,  along  with 
great  compunction,  and  is  unable  to  take  away  the 
occasion  for  a  long  time;  or  if  he  could  not  return  to 
the  same  confessor;  or  if  there  should  be  other  extraor 
dinary  circumstances  which  would  oblige  the  confessor 
to  absolve  him.  But  such  cases  are  very  rare.  Hence 
persons  who  are  in  the  proximate  occasion  of  sin  can 
scarcely  ever  be  absolved  until  they  have  first  removed 
it;  particularly  if  they  promised  at  other  times  to  take 
away  the  occasion,  but  did  not  afterwards  fulfil  their 
promise.  It  is  useless  to  say  that  a  penitent  who  is  dis 
posed  for  the  sacrament  has,  after  the  confession  of  his 
sins,  a  strict  right  to  receive  absolution;  for  it  is  the 
common  opinion  of  theologians  that  a  person  who  has 
confessed  his  sins  has  not  a  strict  right  to  be  imme 
diately  absolved,  and  that  the  confessor  can  and  should, 
as  a  spiritual  physician,  defer  absolution  whenever  he 
knows  that  by  deferring  it  he  will  promote  the  amend 
ment  of  his  penitent. 

What  has  been  said  applies  to  voluntary  occasions: 
but  if  the  occasion  be  necessary,  generally  speaking  there 
is  not  a  strict  obligation  of  removing  it;  for  when  the 
penitent  does  not  wish,  but  rather  suffers  and  permits 
it  against  his  will,  he  may  hope  for  greater  help  from 
God  to  resist  the  temptation.  Hence,  ordinarily  speak 
ing,  he  who  is  in  a  necessary  occasion  of  sin  may  be 
1  "  Impie  pios." 


284  Material  for  Instructions.  .        [PART  n. 

absolved,  provided  he  is  determined  to  adopt  all  the 
means  necessary  to  guard  against  a  relapse.  There  are 
three  principal  means  to  be  prescribed  in  necessary  occa 
sions.  The  first  is  to  fly  from  the  occasion  and  avoid 
as  much  as  possible  being  alone  with  the  accomplice, 
speaking  confidentially  with  her,  or  looking  at  her.  The 
second  is  prayer  and  unceasing  petition  to  God  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin  for  help  to  resist  the  temptation.  The 
third  is  the  frequentation  of  the  sacraments  of  penance 
and  of  the  Eucharist,  by  which  strength  is  obtained  to 
resist  temptations. 

I  have  said  generally  speaking  ;  for  when,  after  having 
used  all  the  means  the  penitent  always  relapses,  without 
any  amendment,  then,  according  to  the  more  common 
and  true  opinion,  which  is  to  be  followed,  he  cannot  be 
absolved  until  he  quits  the  occasion  of  sin,  though  it 
should  cost  him  his  life,1  as  the  theologians  say;  for  he 
should  prefer  eternal  to  temporal  life.  I  add,  that 
though,  according  to  the  rules  of  Moral  Theology,  a  per 
son  who  is  in  the  necessary  occasion  of  sin  may  be  ab 
solved  whenever  he  is  properly  disposed  for  the  sacra 
ment,  still,  wrhen  the  occasion  leads  to  sins  against  purity, 
it  will,  ordinarily  speaking,  be  expedient  to  defer  abso 
lution  until  it  appears  by  the  experience  of  a  consider 
able  time,  of  twenty  or  thirty  days,  that  the  penitent 
has  been  faithful  in  practising  the  means  prescribed,  and 
that  he  has  not  relapsed.  I  also  add,  that  when  the 
confessor  knows  that  it  will  be  useful  to  defer  absolu 
tion  he  is  bound  to  defer  it;  for  he  is  obliged  to  adopt 
the  most  efficacious  remedies  for  the  amendment  of  his 
penitent.  I  say,  moreover,  that  when  a  person  is  long 
habituated  to  sins  of  impurity,  it  will  not  be  enough  for 
him  to  avoid  proximate  occasions:  it  will  be  also  neces 
sary  for  him  to  remove  certain  occasions  which  of  them 
selves  would,  perhaps,  be  remote,  but  with  regard  to 
1  "  Etiam  cum  jactura  vitae." 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  285 

him  will  be  not  remote,  but  proximate.  Because  by  so 
many  relapses  he  has  become  weak  and  strongly  inclined 
to  the  vice  of  impurity. 

II.  With  regard  to  relapsing  sinners,  it  is  necessary  to 
distinguish  between  them  and  habitual  sinners. 

Habitual  sinners  are  those  who  have  contracted  a  habit 
of  any  vice,  but  have  never  confessed  the  habit.  If  they 
are  truly  penitent,  and  firmly  resolved  to  adopt  the  means 
of  overcoming  their  evil  habit,  they  may  be  absolved  the 
first  time  they  confess  the  habit,  or  when  they  confess 
the  sin  after  having,  for  a  considerable  time,  retracted 
the  habit.  But  let  it  be  observed,  that  when  a  penitent 
has  contracted  a  bad  habit,  particularly  if  it  has  become 
inveterate,  the  confessor  can  certainly  defer  absolution, 
in  order  to  try  by  experience  how  the  penitent  practised 
the  means  prescribed. 

But  relapsing  sinners  are  those  who  after  confession 
have  fallen  back  into  the  same  habit  without  any  amend 
ment.  They  cannot  be  absolved  when  they  show  only 
the  ordinary  signs  of  repentance— such  as  the  confession 
of  their  sins,  along  with  the  declaration  that  they  are 
penitent,  and  resolved  to  amend  their  lives.  For  Inno 
cent  XI.  has  justly  condemned  the  following  proposi 
tion:  "The  moment  that  a  sinner  guilty  of  infringing  a 
divine  law,  either  positive  or  natural,  or  a  precept  of  the 
Church,  even  if  he  gave  no  hope  of  amendment,  but  pro 
tests  at  least  that  he  repents  and  wishes  to  amend,  one 
cannot  refuse  or  defer  absolution."  *  Because  although 
the  confession  itself,  along  with  a  declaration  on  the 
part  of  the  habitual  sinner  that  he  is  sorry  for  his  sins, 
and  resolved  to  avoid  them  for  the  future,  gives  a  kind 
of  moral  certainty  that  he  is  disposed  for  the  sacrament, 

1  "  Poenitenti  habenti  consuetudinem  peccandi  contra  legem  Dei. 
naturae,  aut  Ecclesise,  etsi  emendationis  nulla  spes  appareat,  nee  est 
neganda  nee  differenda  absolutio,  dummodo  ore  proferat  se  dolere  et 
proponere  emendationem." — Prop.  damn.  60. 


286  Material  for  Instructions.          IPART  n. 

unless  there  is  a  presumption  in  favor  of  the  contrary, 
still  when  a  habit  has  been  contracted,  and  when,  with 
out  any  improvement,  several  relapses  have  taken  place 
after  absolution,  there  is  strong  reason  to  suspect  that 
the  sorrow  and  purpose  of  amendment  of  the  penitent 
are  not  sincere.  Hence,  such  a  penitent  should  not  be 
absolved  until  he  shows  by  a  change  of  conduct  for 
some  time,  and  "by  practising  the  means  prescribed,  that 
he  has  the  dispositions  necessary  for  the  sacrament. 

Remember  that  this  holds  not  only  for  those  who  re 
lapse  into  mortal  sin,  but  also  for  those  who  relapse  into 
venial  sins,  which  many  penitents  confess  through  cus 
tom,  but  without  sorrow  and  a  purpose  of  amendment. 
If  they  wish  to  receive  absolution,  the  confessor  should 
make  them  give  certain  matter  for  the  sacrament,  by 
the  confession  of  a  more  grievous  sin  of'  their  past  life, 
for  which  they  are  truly  penitent,  and  which  they  are 
firmly  resolved  to  avoid  for  the  future. 

Hence,  to  absolve  relapsing  sinners,  it  is  necessary  for 
the  confessor  to  try  for  some  time  the  sincerity  of  their 
repentance;  or  at  least  to  see  some  extraordinary  signs 
of  sorrow,  which  exclude  the  conditions  of  the  con 
demned  propositions,  and  give  a  well-founded  hope  of 
their  amendment.  These  signs  are,  according  to  the 
theologians: 

1.  Great    compunction,    manifested    by    tears    or   by 
words,  proceeding   not   from   the  mouth   but   from    the 
heart.     From   expressions   of    this   kind    we   sometimes 
get  more  certainty  of  a  penitent's  fitness  for  absolution 
than  even  from  tears; 

2.  A  considerable  diminution  in  the  number  of  sins, 
though  the  penitent  was  exposed  to  the  same  occasions 
and  temptations; 

3.  Greater  caution  against  relapses,  by  avoiding  the 
occasions,  and  by  practising  the  means  prescribed;  or  a 
great  struggle  made  before  consenting  to  sin; 


INSTR.  iv.]        The  Sacrament  of  Penance.  287 

4.  When   the  penitent  asks,  with  a  sincere  desire  of 
amendment,  for  new  remedies  or  means  of  freeing  him 
self  from  the  sin; 

5.  If  he  come  to  confession,  not  to  conform    to  any 
pious  custom  already  established,  such  as  the  practice 
of  going  to  the  sacraments  at  Christmas,  or  any  other 
determinate  festival;  not  by  the  direction  of  a  parent  or 
master,  but  through  a  desire  infused  by  God  of  recover 
ing  the  divine  grace;  particularly  if  the  penitent  has  put 
himself  to  great  inconvenience  in  order  to  come  to  con 
fession,  by  making  a  long  journey;  or  if  he  has  come 
after  a  great  struggle,  or  after  doing  great  violence  to 
himself; 

6.  If  he   has   been   impelled    to  go   to  confession   by 
hearing  a  sermon,  by  the  account  of  the  sudden  death 
or  some   great   calamity  of    another,  or   by  any  other 
extraordinary  spiritual  motive; 

7.  If  he  confesses  sins  previously  concealed  through 
shame; 

8.  If  the  penitent  shows   that   by  the  admonition  of 
the   confessor  he   has   acquired    new   light,   and   a   new 
horror  for  his  sins,  and  a  new  dread   of  the  danger  of 
being  lost; 

9.  Some  theologians  place  among  the  extraordinary 
signs  of  repentance  a  firm  promise  made  by  the  peni 
tent    to   practise   the   remedies    prescribed   by  his   con 
fessor;  but  unless  there  is  some  other  sign,  the  confessor 
can   seldom   trust   to  such   promises.     For  in  order  to 
obtain  absolution  the  more  easily,  penitents  make  many 
promises  that  they  are  not  firmly  resolved  to  fulfil. 

Whenever,  then,  there  are  such  extraordinary  signs,  a 
confessor  may  absolve  a  relapsing  sinner;  but  he  may 
also  defer  absolution  for  some  time,  when  he  knows  that 
delay  will  be  profitable  to  his- penitent.  Some  maintain 
that  it  is  not  always  expedient  to  defer  the  absolution  of 
a  relapsing  sinner  who  has  the  necessary  dispositions; 


288  Material  for  Instructions.          LPARTH. 

others  teach  that  it  is  better  to  put  off  the  absolution,  un 
less  the  delay  and  privation  of  Communion  should  give 
others  grounds  of  suspicion  injurious  to  the  reputation 
of  the  penitent.  My  opinion  is,  as  I  have  stated  in  my 
Instructions  to  Confessors?  that  where  there  is  no  external 
occasion,  and  the  sins  are  committed  through  internal 
frailty,  such  as  blasphemies,  hatred,  pollution,  morose 
delectation,  etc.,  it  is  seldom  expedient  to  defer  absolu 
tion.  For  we  may  always  hope  for  better  fruit  from  the 
aid  of  the  grace  which  the  penitent  receives  from  the 
sacrament  than  from  the  delay  of  absolution.  But  when 
there  is  an  external  occasion,  though  necessary,  I,  as  has 
been  already  said,  deem  it  expedient,  and  generally 
speaking  necessary,  for  the  amendment  of  the  penitent, 
who  is  even  disposed  for  the  sacrament,  to  defer  abso 
lution. 

1  Homo  Apost.  tr.  tilt,  punct.  2. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  289 


INSTRUCTION  V. 

MENTAL    PRAYER. 
I. 

Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer  for  Priests. 

IF,  as  the  most  learned  Suarez  1  has  asserted,  mental 
prayer  is  morally  necessary  for  all  the  faithful,  it  is  still 
more  necessary  for  priests.  Because  priests  stand  in 
need  of  greater  help  from  God,  on  account  of  the  greater 
obligations  by  which  they  are  bound  to  seek  perfection, 
of  the  greater  sanctity  of  their  state,  and  on  account  of 
the  office  that  they  hold,  of  procuring  the  salvation  of 
souls.  Hence,  like  mothers,  who  require  more  corporal 
nutriment  than  others,  because  they  have  to  support 
themselves  and  their  children,  priests  stand  in  need  of 
a  double  portion  of  spiritual  nourishment.  Hence  St. 
Ambrose  says,  that  to  teach  us  the  necessity  of  mental 
prayer  our  Saviour  separated  from  the  people,  and  went 
up  the  mountain  to  pray,2  although  he  did  not  require 
to  go  into  solitary  places  in  order  to  pray;  for  his  blessed 
soul,  always  enjoying  the  intuitive  vision  of  God,  was 
employed  in  all  places  and  in  every  occupation  in  the 
contemplation  of  the  divinity  and  in  praying  for  us. 
St.  Luke  tells  us,  that  he  spent  entire  nights  in  prayer.3 
On  this  passage  St.  Ambrose  says,  if  Jesus  Christ  has 
spent  nights  in  prayer  for  your  salvation,  how  much 
more  ought  you  to  pray.in  order  to  save  your  soul!4 

1  De  Orat.  1.  2,  c.  4. 

2  "  Et  dimissa  turba,  ascendit  in  montem  solus  orare." — Matt.  xiv.  23. 

3  "  Erat  pernoctans  in  oratione." — Luke,  vi.  12. 

4  "  Quid  enim  te  pro  salute  tua  facere  oportet,  quando  pro  te  Chris- 
tus  in  oratione  pernoctat !" 


290  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

Hence  the  saint  has  written  in  another  place:  "Priests 
should  always  devote  themselves  to  prayer."  l  Father 
John  d'Avila  used  to  say,  that  the  offices  which  a  priest 
holds  of  offering  sacrifice  and  of  offering  incense  go 
together.2  Every  one  knows  that  incense  signifies 
prayer:  Let  my  prayer  be  directed  as  incense  in  Thy  sight* 
Hence  St.  John  saw  the  angels  having  .  .  .  golden  vials 
full  of  odors,  which  are  the  prayers  of  the  saints."  Oh, 
what  sweet  odor  do  the  prayers  of  good  priests  give  to 
God  !  On  account  of  the  necessity  of  mental  prayer 
for  ecclesiastics,  St.  Charles  Borromeo  ordained,  in  the 
Council  of  Milan,5  that  every  ecclesiastic,  before  his 
ordination,  should  be  interrogated  in  a  special  manner 
whether  he  knew  how  to  make  mental  prayer,  whether 
he  was  in  the  habit  of  making  it,  and  what  meditations 
he  used.  Father  John  d'Avila  once  dissuaded  a  person 
from  taking  priesthood  because  he  was  not  accustomed 
to  make  mental  prayer. 

I  do  not  intend  to  detail  at  length  the  reasons  why 
the  practice  of  mental  prayer  is  morally  necessary  for 
every  priest.  It  is  enough  to  say,  that  without  mental 
prayer  a  priest  has  but  little  light;  for  without  it  he  will 
reflect  but  little  on  the  great  affair  of  salvation,  he  will 
scarcely  see  the  obstacles  to  it,  and  the  obligations  that 
he  must  fulfil  in  order  to  be  saved.  Hence  the  Saviour 
said  to  his  disciples:  Let  your  loins  be  girt,  and  lamps  burn 
ing  in  your  hands.6  These  lamps,  says  St.  Bonaventure,7 

1  "  (Sacerdotes)  die  noctuque  pro  plebe  sibi  commissa  oportet  orare." 
— ///  i  7V///.  iii. 

2  "  Incensum  enim  Domini  et  panes  Dei  sui  offerunt." — Levit.  xxi.  6. 

3  "  Dirigatur  oratio  mea  sicut   incensum   in   conspectu   tuo." — Ps. 
cxl.  2. 

4  "  Phialas  aureas  plenas  odoramentorum,  quse  sunt  orationes  sanc 
torum." — Apoc.  v.  8. 

5  Anno  1579,  Const,  p.  3,  n.  2. 

G  "Sint   lumbi   vestri   praecincti,  et    lucernse    ardentes    in   manibus 
vestris." — Luke,  xii.  35. 
7  DicEta  sal.  t.  2,  c.  5. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  291 

are  holy  meditations,  in  which  the  Lord  enlightens  us. 
Come  ye  to  Him  and  be  enlightened.1  He  who  does  not 
make  mental  prayer  has  but  little  light  and  little 
strength.  In  the  repose  of  meditation,  says  St.  Ber 
nard,  we  acquire  strength  to  resist  enemies  and  to  prac 
tise  virtue.2  He  who  does  not  sleep  during  the  night  is 
not  able  to  stand  steady,  and  goes  tottering  along  the 
road. 

Be  still  and  see  that  I  am  God*  He  who  neglects  to 
withdraw,  at  least  now  and  then,  from  the  thoughts  of 
the  world,  and  to  retire  to  converse  with  God,  has  but 
little  knowledge  or  light  regarding  the  things  of  eternity. 
Seeing,  one  day,  that  his  disciples  had  been  greatly  occu 
pied  in  works  of  fraternal  charity,  Jesus  Christ  said  to 
them:  Come  apart  into  a  desert  place,  and  rest  a  little?  Re 
tire  into  some  solitary  place  and  rest  a  while.  Our 
Lord  spoke  of  the  repose,  not  of  the  body,  but  of  the 
spirit,  which  unless  it  retire  from  time  to  time  to  con 
verse  alone  with  God,  has  not  strength  to  persevere  in 
doing  good,  but  easily  faints  and  falls  into  sin  in  the 
occasions  that  occur.  All  our  strength  is  in  the  divine 
aid:  /  can  do  all  things  in  Him  who  strengthened  me?  But 
this  aid  God  gives  only  to  those  who  pray  for  it.  He  is 
most  desirous  of  dispensing  his  graces  to  us;  but,  as  St. 
Gregory  says,  he  wishes  that  we  pray  to  him.  and  that 
we,  as  it  were,  compel  him  by  our  prayers  to  grant  them 
to  us.6  But  he  who  neglects  mental  prayer  has  but 
little  knowledge  of  his  defects,  of  the  dangers  of  losing 
the  divine  grace,  of  the  means  of  conquering  tempta- 

1  "  Accedite  ad  eum,  et  illuminamini." — Ps.  xxxiii.  6. 

2  "  Ex  hoc  otio  vires  proveniunt." 

3  "  Vacate,  et  videte  quoniam  ego  sum  Deus." — Ps.  xlv.  n. 

"  Venite  seorsum  in  desertum  locum,  et  requiescite  pusillum." — 
Mark,  vi.  31. 

&  "  Omnia  possum  in  eo  qui  me  confortat." — Phil.  iv.  13. 

0  "  Vult  Deus  rogari,  vult  cogi,  vult  quadam  importunitate  vinci."— 
In  Ps.  panit,  6 


292  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

tions,  and  of  the  need  he  has  of  asking  God's  graces; 
thus  he  will  neglect  to  ask  them,  and  neglecting  to  pray 
for  them,  he  shall  certainly  be  lost.  Hence  St.  Teresa 
of  Jesus  used  to  say,  that  he  who  neglects  mental  prayer 
does  not  stand  in  need  of  devils  to  carry  him  to  hell,  but 
brings  himself  to  that  land  of  woe.1 

Some  say  many  vocal  prayers;  but  he  who  does  not 
make  mental  prayer  will  scarcely  say  his  vocal  prayers 
with  attention:  he  will  say  them  with  distractions,  and 
the  Lord  will  not  hear  him.  "Many  cry  to  God,"  says 
St.  Augustine,  "but  not  with  the  voice  of  the  soul,  but 
with  the  voice  of  the  body;2  only  the  cry  of  the  heart, 
of  the  soul,  reaches  God."J  It  is  not  enough  to  pray 
only  with  the  tongue:  we  must,  according  to  the  Apostle, 
pray  also  with  the  heart  if  we  wish  to  receive  God's 
graces:  Praying  at  all  times  in  the  spirit."  And  by  experi 
ence  we  see  that  many  persons  who  recite  a  great  num 
ber  of  vocal  prayers,  the  Office  and  the  Rosary,  fall  into 
sin,  and  continue  to  live  in  sin.  But  he  who  attends  to 
mental  prayer  scarcely  ever  falls  into  sin,  and  should 
he  have  the  misfortune  of  falling  into  it,  he  will  hardly 
continue  to  live  in  so  miserable  a  state;  he  will  either 
give  up  mental  prayer,  or  renounce  sin.  Meditation 
and  sin  cannot  stand  together.  However  abandoned  a 
soul  may  be,  if  she  perseveres  in  meditation  God  will 
bring  her  to  salvation.  All  the  saints  have  become 
saints  by  mental  prayer.  "By  prayer,"  says  St.  Laur 
ence  Justinian,  "fervor  is  renewed,  and  the  fire  of  divine 
love  is  increased. "£  St.  Ignatius  used  to  say,  that  to 

1  Life,  ch.  19. 

8  "  Multi  clamant,  non  voce  sua,  sed  corporis.  Cogitatio  tua  clamor 
est  ad  Dominum." — In  Ps.  141. 

3  "  Clama  intus,  ubi  Deus  audit." — /;/  Ps.  30,  en.  4. 

4  "  Orantes  omni  tempore  in  spiritu." — Eph.  vi.  18. — Life,  ch.  8. 

5  "  Ex  oratione  fugatur  tentatio,  abscedit  tristitia,  virtus  reparatur, 
excitatur  fervor,  et  divint  amoris  flamma  succrescit." — De  Casto  Conn. 
c.  22. — Ribadeneira,  1.  5,  c.  I. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  293 

remove  the  disturbance  of  mind  caused  by  the  greatest 
calamity  that  could  befall  him,  a  meditation  of  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  would  be  sufficient.  St.  Bernard  has  written: 
"  Consideration  rules  the  affections,  directs  the  actions, 
corrects  excesses."1  St.  John  Chrysostom  regards  as 
dead  the  soul  that  does  not  make  mental  prayer.2  Ruf- 
finus  says  that  all  the  progress  of  the  soul  depends  on 
meditation.8  And  Gerson  goes  so  far  as  to  assert  that 
he  who  does  not  meditate,  cannot,  without  a  miracle, 
lead  a  Christian  life.1  Speaking  of  the  perfection  to 
which  every  priest  is  bound,  St.  Aloysius  Gonzaga  justly 
said  that  without  a  great  zeal  for  mental  prayer  a  soul 
will  never  attain  great  virtue.5 

(He  who  desires  more  detailed  proofs  of  the  moral 
necessity  of  mental  prayer,  is  referred  to  the  chapter  on 
meditation  in  the  True  Spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  Ch.  XV  )  * 

II. 
Answer  to  Excuses. 

I  here  omit  many  other  arguments  that  I  could  ad 
duce  in  favor  of  the  necessity  of  mental  prayer;  I  will 
only  answer  three  excuses  put  forward  by  priests  who 
neglect  meditation. 

1  "  Consideratio  regit  affectus,  dirigit  actus,  corrigit  excessus." — De 
Consid.  1.  i,  c.  7. 

2  "  Quisquis  non  orat  Deum,  nee  divino  ejus  colloquio  cupit  assidue 
frui,  is  mortuus  est.   .   .  .  Animae  mors  est,  non  provolvi  coram  Deo." 
— De  or.  Deo,  1.  I. 

3  "  Omnis  profectus  spiritualis  ex  meditatione  procedit." — In  Ps.  36. 

4  "  Absque  meditationis  exercitio,  nullus,  secluso  miraculo  Dei,  ad 
Christianse  religionis  normam  attingit." — De  Med.  cons.  7. 

5  Cepari,  1.  2,  c    3. 

*  Volume  X.,  page  441.  See  also  Discourse  on  the  same  subject  at 
the  end  of  this  work,  and  the  complete  treatise  on  mental  prayer  that 
has  been  given  in  Volume  III.,  page  252. — ED. 


294  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

I.  Some  say,  "  I  do  not  make  mental  prayer,  because  I 
am  subject  to  desolation,  to  distractions,  and  to  tempta 
tions;  I  have  a  wandering  mind  that  I  cannot  confine  to 
the  subject  of  meditation,  and  therefore  I  have  given  up 
mental  prayer." 

But  to  such  persons  St.  Francis  de  Sales  says,1  that 
if  in  their  meditations  they  do  nothing  else  than  banish 
distractions  and  temptations,  the  meditation  is  well 
made,  provided  the  distraction  is  not  voluntary.  The 
Lord  is  pleased  with  a  good  intention,  with  a  patient 
endurance,  during  the  whole  time  prescribed  for  medi 
tation,  and  with  the  pain  arising  from  distractions,  and 
will  bestow  many  graces  in  return.  We  ought  to  go  to 
prayer,  not  to  please  ourselves,  but  to  please  God.  Even 
holy  souls  generally  suffer  aridity  in  meditation,  but 
because  they  persevere,  God  enriches  them  with  his 
blessings.  St.  Francis  de  Sales  used  to  say,  an  ounce 
of  prayer  made  amid  desolations  is  of  greater  value 
before  God  than  a  hundred  pounds  of  it  in  the  midst  of 
consolations.  Even  statues  do  honor  to  a  prince  by 
standing  in  his  galleries.  Whenever,  then,  the  Lord 
wishes  us  to  remain  as  statues  in  his  presence,  let  us  be 
content  to  honor  him  as  statues.  It  will  then  be  enough 
to  say  to  him:  Lord,  I  remain  here  to  please  you. 

St.  Isidore  says  that  the  devil  never  labors  so  hard 
to  tempt  and  distract  us  as  in  the  time  of  meditation.2 
And  why  ?  because  he  knows  the  great  fruit  that  we 
draw  from  meditation,  and  therefore  he  endeavors  to 
make  us  give  it  up.  They,  then,  who  abandon  mental 
prayer  on  account  of  the  tediousness  that  they  feel  in 
it,  give  great  delight  to  the  devil.  In  the  time  of  aridity 
the  soul  should  do  nothing  else  than  humble  herself 
and  ask  God's  graces.  She  should  humble  herself,  for 

1  Lettre  629. 

2  "  Tune   magis  diabolus  cogitationes  curarum    saeculanum   ingerit, 
quando  orantem  aspexerit." — Sent.  1.  3,  c.  7. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  295 

there  is  no  better  time  for  understanding  our  own  mis 
eries  and  insufficiency  than  when  we  are  desolate  in 
prayer:  we  then  see  that  of  ourselves  we  can  do  nothing. 
Hence  we  should  do  nothing  else  than,  uniting  our 
selves  with  Jesus,  desolate  on  the  cross,  humble  our 
selves  and  ask  mercy,  saying  and  repeating,  Lord,  assist 
me:  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me:  my  Jesus,  mercy.  Medi 
tation  made  in  this  manner  will  be  the  most  fruitful 
of  all;  for  to  the  humble  God  opens  his  hands  and  dis 
penses  his  graces:  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  give  th  His 
grace  to  the  humble.1  Let  us  then,  more  than  ever,  fer 
vently  implore  mercy  for  ourselves  and  for  poor  sinners. 
God  requires,  in  a  special  manner,  of  priests  that  they 
pray  for  sinners.  The  priests,  the  Lord's  ministers,  shall 
weep,  and  shall  say:  Spare,  O  Lord,  spare  Thy  people:  But 
in  answer  to  this  some  may  say:  It  is  enough  for  me  to 
say  the  divine  office.  But  St.  Augustine  writes,  that  the 
barking  of  dogs  is  more  pleasing  to  God  than  the  pray 
ers  of  bad  ecclesiastics.  The  ecclesiastic  who  neglects 
mental  prayer  soon  falls  away  from  virtue,  for  without 
meditation  he  shall  scarcely  acquire  the  ecclesiastical 
spirit.3 

II.  Others  say,  If  I  neglect  mental  prayer,  I  do  not 
mis-spend  my  time;  I  employ  it  in  study 

But  the  Apostle  said  to  Timothy:  Take  heed  to  thyself 
and  to  doctrine*  Attend  first  to  thyself,  that  is,  to  prayer, 
and  then  to  doctrine,  that  is,  to  study,  in  order  to  pro 
cure  the  salvation  of  others.  If  we  are  not  saints,  how 
can  we  make  others  become  saints  ?  "  Happy  he  that 

1  "  Deus  superbis  resistit,   humilibus  autem    dat  gratiam."— James, 
iv.  6. 

2  "  Plorabunt  Sacerdotes,  ministri  Domini,  etdicent:  Parce,  Domine, 
parce  populo  tuo." — Joel,  ii.  17. 

3  "  Plus  placet  Deo  latratus  canum,  quam  oratio  talium  clericorum." 
— Corn,  a  Lap.  in  Levit.  i.  17. 

4  "  Attende  tibi  et  doctrinse.." — I  Tim.  iv.  16. 


296  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

knows  Thee,  even  if  he  knows  nothing  else,"  says  St. 
Augustine.1  If  we  knew  all  sciences  and  knew  not  how 
to  love  Jesus  Christ,  our  knowledge  shall  profit  us 
nothing  to  eternal  life.  But  if  we  know  how  to  love 
Jesus  Christ,  we  shall  know  all  things,  and  shall  be 
happy  for  eternity.  Happy,  then,  the  man  to  whom  is 
given  the  science  of  the  saints,  that  is,  the  science  of 
loving  God:  She  gave  him  the  knowledge  of  the  holy  things? 
A  single  word  from  a  priest  who  truly  loves  God  will 
produce  more  fruit  in  others  than  a  thousand  sermons 
of  the  learned  who  love  God  but  little. 

But  this  science  of  the  saints  is  not  acquired  by  the 
study  of  books,  but  by  mental  prayer,  in  which  the 
master  who  instructs  and  the  book  that  is  read  is  a 
crucified  God.  Being  asked  one  day  by  St.  Thomas 
from  what  book  he  had  acquired  so  much  learning,  St. 
Bonaventure  pointed  to  the  crucifix,  and  said  that  there 
he  had  acquired  all  his  knowledge.  Sometimes  a  person 
learns  more  in  a  moment  during  the  time  of  meditation 
than  he  would  in  ten  years  spent  in  the  study  of  books. 
"  In  the  soul,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  there  is  left,  by 
the  desire  of  unitive  love,  incomparably  greater  knowl 
edge  than  by  study."  : 

Human  sciences  require  a  good  understanding;  in  the 
science  of  the  saints  it  is  enough  to  have  a  good  will. 
He  who  loves  God  most  ardently,  knows  him  best. 
Love,  says  St.  Gregory,4  is  knowledge;  and  according 
to  St.  Augustine,  to  love  is  to  see.5  David  exhorts  us 
to  taste  and  see  how  sweet  the  Lord  is:  O  taste  and  see 

1  "  Beatus,  qui  te  scit,  etiamsi  ilia  nesciat." — Conf.  1.  5,  c.  4. 

2  "  Et  dedit  illi  scientiam  sanctorum." — Wisd.  x.  10. 

3  "  In  anima  incomparabiliter,  per  amoris  unitivi  desideria,  perfectio 
amplioris  cognitionis  relinquitur,  quam  studendo    requiratur." — Myst. 
Theol.  c.  3,  p.  2. 

4  "  Amor  ipse  notitia  est." — In  Evang.  horn.  27. 
*  "  Amarc,  videre  est." 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  297 

that  the  Lord  is  sweet.1  He  who  tastes  God  most  by 
loving  him,  sees  him  most  clearly,  and  has  the  most 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  immensity  of  his  goodness. 
He  who  tastes  honey  has  a  more  correct  notion  of  it 
than  all  the  philosophers  who  study  and  explain  its 
properties.  "  If,"  said  St.  Augustine,  "  God  is  wisdom, 
a  true  philosopher  is  a  lover  of  God."  *  God  is  wisdom 
itself;  then  the  true  philosopher  (by  philosopher  is 
meant  a  person  who  loves  wisdom)  is  one  who  truly 
loves  God. 

To  learn  worldly  sciences  much  time  and  labor  are 
necessary;  but  to  learn  the  science  of  the  saints  it  is 
enough  to  wish  and  ask  for  it.  The  wise  man  says  that 
Wisdom  .  .  .  is  easily  seen  by  them  that  love  her,  and  is 
found  by  them  that  seek  her.  She  preventcth  them  that  covet 
her,  so  that  she  first  showeth  herself  to  them?  The  divine 
wisdom  is  easily  found  by  all  that  seek  and  covet  her; 
she  is  found,  even  before  she  is  sought.  He  thatwatcheth 
early  to  seek  her  shall  not  labor,  for  he  shall  find  her  sitting 
at  his  door*  He  who  seeks  her  with  diligence  shall  not 
labor  to  find  her,  for  he  shall  find  her  sitting  at  his  door 
waiting  for  him.  Finally,  Solomon  concludes:  Now  all 
good  things  came  to  me  with  her  5  That  is,  he  who  finds 
wisdom,  or  the  love  of  God,  finds  all  goods. 

Oh,  how  much  more  did  St.  Philip  Neri  learn  in  the 
grottoes  of  St.  Sebastian,  where  he  spent  entire  nights 
in  meditation,  than  in  all  the  books  that  he  had  read! 
How  much  more  did  St.  Jerome  learn  in  the  cave  of 

1  "  Gustate,  et  videte  quoniam  suavis  est  Dominus." — Ps.  xxxiii.  9. 

2  "  Si  sapientia  Deus  est,  verus  philosophus  est  arnator  Dei." — DC 
Civ.  Dei.  1.  8,  c.  i. 

3  "  Sapientia      ,   .   facile  videtur  ab  his  qui  diligunt  earn,  et  inveni- 
tur  ab  his  qui  quaerunt  illam.     Prseoccupat,  qui  se  concupiscunt,  ut  illis 
se  prior  ostendat." — Wisd.  vi.  13. 

4  "  Qui  de  luce  vigilaverit  ad  illam,  non  laborabit;  assidentem  enim 
illam  foribus  suis  inveniet." — Ib.  15. 

5  "  Venerunt  autem  mihi  omnia  bona  pariter  cum  ilia." — Jib.  vii.  n. 


298  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

Bethlehem  than  in  all  his  studies!  Father  Suarez  used 
to  say  that  he  would  rather  lose  all  his  knowledge  than 
one  hour's  mental  prayer.  "  May  the  wise  men  of  this 
world,"  says  St.  Paulinus,  "  possess  their  wisdom,  the 
rich  their  riches,  the  kings  their  kingdoms.  Jesus  Christ 
is  our  wisdom,  our  riches,  our  kingdom." ]  Let  the 
learned  of  the  world  enjoy  their  wisdom,  let  the  rich 
possess  their  wealth,  and  kings  their  kingdoms,  but  let 
Jesus  Christ  be  our  wisdom,  our  riches,  our  kingdom; 
let  us  say  with  St.  Francis.  "  My  God  and  my  all."  : 
This  true  wisdom  we  should  in  a  special  manner  ask 
of  God,  for  he  will  certainly  give  it  to  all  who  pray  for 
it.  If  any  of  you  want  wisdom,  says  St.  James,  let  him  ask 
of  God,  who  giveth  to  all  men  abundantly,  and  upbraideth  not.3 
I  do  not  deny  that  study  is  useful,  and  even  necessary 
for  priests;  but  the  study  of  the  crucifix  is  still  more 
necessary.  In  a  letter  to  Jovius,  who  devoted  a  great 
deal  of  time  to  the  study  of  the  works  of  the  philoso 
phers,  but  through  pretence  of  not  having  time,  paid 
but  little  attention  to  the  exercises  of  a  spiritual  life,  the 
same  St.  Paulinus  writes.  "  You  have  time  to  be  a 
'philosopher,  but  you  have  no  time  to  be  a  Christian."^ 
Some  priests  spend  so  much  time  in  the  study  of  mathe 
matics,  geometry,  astronomy,  and  profane  history  (oh 
that  they  would  at  least  study  what  is  better  suited  to 
their  state),  and  afterwards  say  that  they  have  not  time 
to  make  mental  prayer.  To  them  it  should  be  said: 
"  You  have  time  to  be  a  learned  mail,  but  you  have  no 

1  "  Sfbi  habeant  sapientiam  suam  philosophi,  sibi  divitias  suas  divi- 
tes,  sibi  regna  sua  reges,  nobis  gloria,  et  possessio,  et  regnum,  Chris- 
tus  est." — Ep.  ad  Aprum. 

2  "Deus  meus,  etomnia!" 

3  "  Si  quis  autem  vestrum  indiget  sapientia,  postulet  a  Deo,  qtii  dat 
omnibus  affluenter,  et  non  improperat." — James,  i.  5. 

4  "  Vacat  tibi  ut  philosophus  sis;  non  vacat  ut  christianus  sis  ?" — Ep. 
ad  Jovium. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  299 

time  to  be  a  priest."  '  Seneca  says  that  we  have  little 
time,  because  we  lose  a  great  deal  of  it.2  And  in  another 
place  he  says:  "We  are  ignorant  of  what  is  necessary, 
because  we  learn  what  is  superfluous."1 

III.  Others  say  I  would  wish  to  make  mental  prayer, 
but  I  am  so  much  occupied  in  hearing  confessions  and 
preaching,  that  I  have  not  a  moment  to  spare. 

I  answer:  I  praise  you,  dearly  beloved  priest,  for  seek 
ing  the  salvation  of  souls,  but  I  cannot  praise  you  for 
forgetting  yourself  in  order  to  assist  others.  We  must 
attend  first  to  ourselves  by  making  mental  prayer,  and 
then  to  our  neighbor.  The  holy  apostles  labored  more 
than  all  others  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  but  finding 
that  their  exertions  for  the  good  of  others  interfered 
with  prayer,  they  appointed  deacons  for  the  perform 
ance  of  the  external  works  of  charity,  that  thus  they 
themselves  might  have  time  for  prayer  and  the  preach 
ing  of  the  divine  word:  Brethren,  may  we  appoint  men  over 
this  business.  But  we  will  give  ourselves  continually  to  prayer, 
and  to  the  ministry  of  the  word."  But  remark,  they  at 
tended  first  to  prayer,  and  then  to  preaching;  because 
without  prayer  sermons  produce  but  little  fruit.  This 
is  what  St.  Teresa  wrote  to  the  Bishop  of  Osma,  who 
paid  great  attention  to  the  care  of  his  flock,  but  devoted 
little  time  to  prayer.  "  Our  Lord,"  says  the  saint  in  a 
letter  to  him,  "has  shown  me  that  you  are  wanting  in 
what  is  particularly  necessary  for  you  (and  when  the 
foundation  gives  way  the  edifice  falls  to  ruin);  you  fail 
in  mental  prayer,  and  do  not  persevere  in  it;  from  this 
defect  arises  the  aridity  which  the  soul  suffers."  5  St. 

1  "  Vacat  tibi  ut  eruditus  sis;  non  vacat  ut  Sacerdos  sis?" 

2  "  Non   exiguum  tempus   habemus,    sed   multum    perdimus." — De 
Brevit    V.  c.  I. 

3  "  Necessaria  ignoramus,  quia  superflua  addiscimus." 
4<<Fratres,   viros,    .   .   .    constituamus   super   hoc   opus.     Nos   vero 

orationi  et  ministerio  verbi  instantes  erimus." — Acts,  vi.  3. 
6  Lettre  8.. 


300  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

Bernard  admonished  Pope  Eugene  not  to  omit  medita 
tion  on  account  of  external  affairs;  and  added,  that  he 
who  gives  up  mental  prayer  may  fall  into  hardness  of 
heart,  which  will  destroy  all  remorse  for  his  faults,  so 
that  after  having  committed  them  he  shall  feel  no 
hatred  for  them.1 

St,  Laurence  Justinian  says  that  the  works  of  Martha, 
without  the  recollection  of  Mary,  cannot  be  perfect.8 
He  deceives  himself,  says  the  saint,  who  expects,  with 
out  the  aid  of  prayer,  to  succeed  in  the  work  of  saving 
souls — a  work  as  dangerous  as  it  is  sublime;  without  the 
reflection  of  mental  prayer,  he  shall  certainly  faint  on 
the  way.3  Our  Lord  commanded  his  disciples  to  preach 
what  they  heard  in  prayer:  That  which  you  hear  in  the 
ear,  preach  ye  upon  the  housetops?  By  the  ear  in  this 
place  is  understood  the  ear  of  the  heart,  to  which  God 
promises  to  speak  in  the  solitude  of  prayer:  I  will  lead 
her  into  the  wilderness,  and  I  will  speak  to  her  heart? 
In  -prayer,  says  St.  Paulinus,  we  conceive  the  spirit, 
which  we  must  afterwards  communicate  to  others.6 
Hence,  speaking  of  priests,  St.  Bernard  complained, 
that  though  a  priest  should  be  first  a  cistern,  that  is,  full 
of  holy  lights  and  affections  collected  in  prayer,  and 
afterwards  a  canal  to  diffuse  them  among  his  neighbors, 
still  there  are  in  the  Church  many  canals  and  few  cis- 

1  "  Timeo  tibi,  Eugeni,  ne  multitude  negotiorum,  intermissa  oratione 
et  consideratione,  te  ad  cor  durum  perducat;  quod   seipsum  non  ex- 
horret,  quia  nee  sentit." — De  Cons.  1.  i,  c.  2. 

2  "  Marthae  studium,  absque   Mariae  gustu,   non  potest  esse   perfec- 
tum." 

"  Fallitur  quisquis  opus  hoc  periculosum,  absque  orationis  praesidio, 
consummare  se  posse  putat;  in  via  deficit,  si  ab  interna  maneat  refec- 
tione  jejunus." — De  Inst.  prccl.  c.  u. 

4  "  Quod  in  aure  auditis,  praedicate  super  tecta." — Matth.  x.  27. 

5  "  Ducam  earn  in  solitudinem,  et  loquar  ad  cor  ejus." — Osee,  ii.  14. 

6  "  In  oratione  fit  conceptio  spiritualis." — E£.  ad  Severium. 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  301 

terns.1  Hence  before  a  priest  engages  in  works  of  charity 
to  others  he  should  have  recourse  to  prayer,  says  St. 
Laurence  Justinian.2  Hence,  on  the  passage  of  the  Can 
ticles,  Draw  me;  we  will  run  after  Thee  in  the  odor  of  Thy 
ointments?  St.  Bernard  has  written,  that  the  priest  who  has 
zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ought  to  say  to  God:  "I 
will  run  not  alone;  others  shall  run  with  me:  we  will 
run  after  Thee  in  the  odor  of  Thy  ointments;  that  is, 
we  will  hasten  after  Thee,  attracted  by  Thy  example.4 
My  God,  draw  me  to  Thyself;  for  drawn  by  Thee,  I  will 
run  with  Thee,  and  others  also  shall  run  with  me:  I  shall 
run,  drawn  by  the  odor  of  Thy  ointments;  that  is,  by 
the  inspirations  and  graces  that  I  shall  receive  in  prayer, 
others  shall  be  drawn  by  my  example. 

That  a  priest  may  be  able  to  draw  many  souls  to  God, 
he  must  first  prepare  himself  to  be  drawn  by  God.  Such 
has  been  the  conduct  of  holy  workmen  in  God's  vine 
yard — of  St.  Dominic,  St.  Philip  Neri,  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  St.  John  Francis  Regis.  They  employed  the 
day  in  laboring  for  the  people,  and  spent  the  night  in 
prayer,  and  persevered  in  that  holy  exercise  until  they 
were  overcome  by  sleep.  A  priest  of  moderate  learning 
and  great  zeal  will  bring  more  souls  to  God  than  a  great 
number  of  tepid  though  learned  priests.  St.  Jerome 
says,  "  A  man  inflamed  with  zeal  is  sufficient  to  amend 
an  entire  people."  '  A  single  word  from  a  priest  in 
flamed  with  holy  charity  will  do  more  good  than  a 

1  Concham  te  exhibebis,  non  canalem.  Canales  hodie  in  Ecclesia 
multos  habemus,  conchas  vero  perpaucas." — In  Cant.  s.  18. 

*  "  Difficile  est  proximorum  lucris  insistere.  Priusquam  hujusmodi 
studiis  se  tradat,  orationi  intendat." — De  Tr.  Chr.  Ag.  c.  7. 

3  "  Trahe  me;  post  te  curremus   in  odorem  unguentorum  tuorum." — 
Cant.  i.  3. 

4  "  Non  curram  ego  sola,  current  et  adolescentulse  mecum;  curremus 
simul,  ego  odore  unguentorum  tuorum,  illae  meo  excitatae  exemplo."- 
In  Cant,  s.  21. 

5  "  Sufficit  unus  homo  zelo  succensus  totum  corrigere  populum." 


302  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

hundred  sermons  composed  by  a  theologian  who  has 
but  little  love  of  God.  St.  Thomas  of  Villanova  used  to 
say  that  words  of  fire,  which  are,  as  it  were,  darts  of  the 
fire  of  divine  love,  are  necessary  to  wound  and  "inflame 
hearts  with  the  love  of  God.  But  how,  adds  the  saint, 
can  these  darts  of  fire  issue  from  a  heart  of  snow  ?  It  is 
meditation  that  inflames  the  heart  of  holy  workmen  in 
the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  and  transforms  them  from 
snow  into  fire.  Speaking  especially  of  the  love  that 
Jesus  Christ  has  borne  us,  the  Apostle  says:  For  the 
charity  of  Christ  presseth  us.1  He  means  that  it  is  im 
possible  for  any  one  to  meditate  on  the  sorrows  and 
ignominies  that  our  Redeemer  has  endured  for  us  with 
out  being  inflamed,  and  without  seeking  to  inflame 
others,  with  his  love:  You  shall  drawiswters  with  joy,  says 
the  Prophet  Isaias,  out  of  the  Saviour  s  fountains?  The 
fountains  of  the  Saviour  are  the  examples  of  the  life  of 
Jesus  Christ,  from  the  consideration  of  which  souls  draw 
sweet  waters,  lights,  and  holy  affections;  and  inflamed 
with  these  affections,  they  endeavor  to  kindle  them,  also, 
in  others,  exhorting  them  to  confess  and  praise,  and  love 
the  goodness  of  our  God. 

III. 
The  Recitation  of  the  Divine  Office. 

(It  may  be  useful  to  say  something  here  on  the  reci 
tation  of  the  divine  Office.) 

By  the  divine  Office  God  is  honored,  the  fury  of  the 
enemy  is  repelled,  and  the  divine  mercies  are  obtained 
for  sinners.  But  to  attain  these  ends  it  is  necessary  to 
recite  the  Office  in  a  proper  manner:  it  is  necessary  to 
say  it  "carefully  and  devoutly,"3  as  the  fifth  Council  of 

1  "  Charitas  enim  Christi  urget  nos." — 2  Cor.  v.  14. 

2  "  Haurietis  aquas  in  gaudio  de  fontibus  Salvatoris;  et  dicetis  indie 
ilia:  Confitemini  Domino,  et  invocate  nomen  ejus." — Isa.  xii.  3. 

3  "  Studiose  et  devote." 


INSTR.  v.]  Mental  Prayer.  303 

Lateran1  has  taught,  in  the  celebrated  Canon  Dolentes. 
Care/idly,  by  pronouncing  the  words  distinctly;  devoutly, 
that  is,  with  attention,  as  Cassian  teaches:  "  Let  that  be 
considered  in  the  heart  which  is  uttered  by  the  lips."'2 
How,  asks  St.  Cyprian,  can  you  expect  that  God  will 
hear  you  when  you  do  not  hear  yourself  ? 3  Prayer  made 
with  attention  is  the  odoriferous  incense  that  is  most 
agreeable  to  God,  and  obtains  treasures  of  grace;  but 
prayer  made  with  voluntary  distraction  is  a  fetid  smoke 
that  provokes  the  divine  wrath,  and  merits  chastisement. 
Hence,  while  we  recite  the  Office,  the  devil  labors  stren 
uously  to  make  us  say  it  with  distractions  and  defects. 
We  should,  then,  take  all  possible  care  to  recite  it  in  a 
proper  manner.  We  here  give  some  practical  advice: 

1.  It  is  necessary  to  enliven  our  faith,  and  to  consider 
that   in    reciting   the  divine   Office    we   unite   with   the 
angels  in   praising   God.     "  We  begin  'here  upon  earth 
the  office  of  the  inhabitants  of  heaven,"  4  says  Tertullian. 
We  then  perform  on  earth  the  office  of  the  citizens  of 
heaven,   who  unceasingly  praise  God,  and  shall   praise 
him  for  eternity.5     Hence,  as  St.  John  Chrysostom  re 
marks,  before  we  enter  the  church  or  take  up  the  brevi 
ary  we  must  leave  at  the  door  and  dismiss  all   thoughts 
of  the  world.0 

2.  In  reciting  the  divine  Office  we  must  take  care  that 
our  affections  accompany  the  sentiments  contained  in 
what  we  read.    It  is  necessary,  says  St.  Augustine:  "  We 

1  Cap.  Dolentes,  de  Cel.  Missar. 

"  Hoc  versatur  in  corde,  quod  profertur  in  voce." — Ep.  211,  E.  B. 

"  Quomodo  te  audiri  a  Deo  postulas,  cum  te  ipsc  non  audias  ?" — 
De  Or.  Dom. 

"  Officium  futurae  claritatis  ediscimus." — De  Or. 

"  In  saecula  saeculorum  laudabunt  te." — Ps.  Ixxxiii.  5. 

"  Ne  quis  ingrediatur  templum  curis  onustus  mundanis;  hac 
ante  ostium  deponamus." — In  Is.  honi.  2. 


304  Material  for  Instructions,          [PART  n. 

must  pray  when  the  Psalmist  prays,  sigh  when  he  sighs, 
hope  when  he  hopes.1 

3.  It  is  useful   to  renew  our  attention  from   time  to 
time;  for  example,  at  the  beginning  of  every  psalm. 

4.  We  must  be  careful  not  to  give  occasion  to  mental 
distractions.     How  can   he  who  recites  the  Office  in  a 
public  place,  or  in  the  midst  of  persons  who  are  jesting 
and  amusing  themselves, — how,  I  ask,  can  he  say  it  with 
piety  and  devotion  ? 

Oh!  what  treasures  do  they  lay  up  who  daily  recite 
the  divine  Office  with  devout  attention  !  St.  John 
Chrysostom  says  that  they  are  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost.2  But,  on  the  other  hand,  they  who  say  it  negli 
gently  lose  great  merits,  and  have  to  render  a  great 
account  to  God.* 

1  "  Si  oral  Psalmus,  orate;  si  gemit,  gemite;  si  sperat,  sperate." — 
In  Ps.  xxx.  en.  4. 

2  "  Implentur  Spiritu  Sancto."— In  Eph.  horn.  19. 

*  We  may  see  a  more  extended  instruction  on  the  recitation  of  the 
Office  in  the  True  Spouse  of  Jesiis  Christ,  Ch.  24,  Vol.  XI.,  page  189. 
We  may  also  find  a  short  treatise  on  the  same  subject  at  the  end  of 
the  next  volume  (Volume  XIII.). — ED. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  305 


INSTRUCTION  VI. 

HUMILITY. 

Learn  of  Me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart? 
Humility  and  meekness  were  the  two  beloved  virtues  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  which  he  wished  in  a  special  manner  to 
be  imitated  by  his  disciples.  We  shall  speak  first  of 
humility,  and  afterwards  of  meekness. 


Necessity  of  Humility. 

St.  Bernard  says,  "The  higher  one  is  placed,  the  hum 
bler  one  should  be."2  The  more  exalted,  then,  the 
dignity  of  the  priest,  the  greater  should  be  his  humil 
ity;  otherwise,  if  he  fall  into  sin,  the  greater  the  height 
from  which  he  is  precipitated,  the  more  disastrous  his 
fall.  Hence  St.  Laurence  Justinian  says  that  the  priest 
should  regard  humility  as  the  most  precious  jewel  that 
shines  forth  in  his  character.3  And  St.  Augustine  writes: 
"The  highest  honor  should  be  united  with  the  greatest 
humility."4  And  before  him,  Jesus  Christ  said,  He  that 
is  the  greater  among  you,  let  him  become  as  the  younger? 
Humility  is  truth.  Hence  the  Lord  has  said,  that  if  we 

"  Discite  a  me  quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  corde." — -Matth.  xi.  29. 

2  "  Tanto  quisque  debet  esse  humilior,  quanto  est  sublimior." — De 
7  Donis  Sp.  S. 

3  "  Humilitas  est  Sacerdotum  gemma." — De  lust,  prccl.  c   21. 

4  "  In  summo  honore  summa  tibi   sit  humilitas." — De  Virt.  et  Vit. 
c.  10. 

5  "  Qui  major  est  in  vobis,  fiat  sicut  minor." — Luke   xxii.  26. 

20 


306  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

know  how  to  separate  the  precious  from  the  vile,  that 
is,  what  belongs  to  God  from  what  belongs  to  ourselves, 
we  should  be  like  his  mouth,  which  always  speaks  truth: 
If  thou  wilt  separate  the  precious  from  the  vile,  thou  shalt  be 
as  My  mouth.1  Hence  we  must  always  pray  with  St. 
Augustine:  "O  Lord,  may  I  know  Thee,  may  I  know 
myself!"5  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  admiring  in  God  his 
greatness  and  goodness,  and  in  himself  his  own  un- 
worthiness  and  misery,  used  to  say  continually  to  the 
Lord:  "Who  art  Thou,  and  who  am  I?"  Hence  the 
saints  at  the  sight  of  the  infinite  perfections  of  God 
humble  themselves  to  the  very,  earth.  The  more  they 
know  God,  the  better  they  see  their  own  poverty  and 
defects.  The  proud,  because  they  are  bereft  of  light, 
have  but  little  knowledge  of  their  own  vileness. 

Let  us,  then,  continue  to  separate  what  is  ours  from 
what  belongs  to  God.  Ours  is  nothing  but  misery  and 
sin.  And  what  are  we  but  a  little  fetid  dust,  infected 
by  sin  ?  How,  then,  can  we  be  proud  ?  Why  is  earth  ana 
ashes  proud?*  Nobility,  wealth,  talent,  ability,  and  the 
other  gifts  of  nature,  are  but  a  garment  placed  over  a 
poor  mendicant.  If  you  saw  a  beggar  glorying  in  an 
embroidered  garment  thrown  over  him,  would  you  not 
pronounce  him  to  be  a  fool  ?  What  hast  thou  that  thou 
hast  not  received  ?  And  if  thou  hast  received,  why  dost  thou 
glory  as  if  thou  hadst  not  received  it?*  Have  we  anything 
that  God  has  not  bestowed  upon  us,  or  that  he  cannot 
take  away  whenever  he  pleases  ?  The  gifts  of  grace 
that  God  confers  upon  us  also  belong  to  him,  and  we 
contaminate  them  by  so  many  defects,  distractions,  acts 

1  "  Si  separaveris  pretiosum  a  vili,  quasi  os   meum  eris." — -Jer.  xv. 
19. 

2  "  Noverim  me,  noverim  te." — SoH'l.  1.  2,  c.  i. 

3  "  Quid  superbit  terra  et  cinis  ?" — Ecclus.  x.  9. 

4  "  Quid   autem   habes,   quod   non   accepisti  ?     Si  autem   accepisti, 
quid  gloriaris,  quasi  non  acceperis  ?" — i  Cor.  iv.  7. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  307 

of  impatience,  and  inordinate  motives,  All  our  justices  are 
as  the  rag  of  a  menstruous  woman.1  Thus,  after  having 
said  our  Masses,  Offices,  and  prayers,  though  perhaps 
we  esteem  ourselves  more  enlightened  and  rich  in 
merits,  we  deserve  from  the  Lord  the  reproof  which  he 
gave  to  the  bishop  in  the  Apocalypse:  Because  thou 
sayest :  I  am  rick,  .  .  .  and  knowest  not  that  thou  art 
wretched,  and  miser  able,  and  poor,  and  blind,  and  naked?  St. 
Bernard  writes:  "  What  we  need  in  fervor  we  should 
supply  by  an  humble  acknowledgment  of  our  misery."  3 
If  we  know  that  we  are  poor  and  full  of  faults  in  the 
sight  of  God,  let  us  at  least  humble  ourselves  and  con 
fess  our  miseries.  St.  Francis  Borgia,  while  a  secular, 
was  advised  by  a  holy  man,  if  he  wished  to  make  great 
progress  in  virtue,  to  reflect  every  day  on  his  own  mis 
eries.  Hence  the  saint  spent  every  day  the  first  two 
hours  of  prayer  in  endeavoring  to  know  and  despise 
himself.  He  thus  became  a  saint,  and  has  left  us  so 
many  beautiful  examples  of  humility. 

St.  Augustine  says:  "God  is  the  supremebeing:  humble 
thyself  and  he  will  descend  to  thee;  but  if  thou  raisest  thy 
self  he  will  flee  from  thee."  '  To  the  humble,  God  unites 
himself  and  gives  the  treasures  of  his  graces;  but  from 
the  proud  he  withdraws  and  flies  away:  Every  proud  man 
is  an  abomination  to  the  Lord?  The  proud  man  is  an 
abomination  to  the  Lord.  God,  says  St.  James,  resisteth 
the  proud  and  giveth  grace  to  the  humble.*  The  Lord  hears 

"Quasi  pannus  menstruatse,  universae  justitiae nostrae." — Isa.  lxiv.6. 
"Dicis:  Quod  dives  sum;  et  nescis  quia  tu  es  miser,   et  miser- 
abilis,  et  csecus,  et  nudus." — Apoc.  iii.  17. 

3  "  Quidquid  minus  est  in  te  fervoris,  humilitas  supplebit  confessi- 
onis." — De  Int.  Domo,  c.  21. 

4  "  Altus  est  Deus.     Erigis  te,  et  fugit  a  te;  humilias-te,  et  descendit 
ad  te." — Serrn.  177,  E.  B.  app. 

5  "  Abominatio  Domini  est  omnis  arrogans." — Prov.  xvi.  5. 

b  "Deus  superbis  resistit;  humilibus  autem  dat  gratiam."— -fames, 
iv.  6. 


308  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

the  prayers  of  the  humble.  The  prayer  of  him  that  humbLeth 
himself  shall  pierce  the  clouds,  .  .  .  and  he  will  not  depart  till 
the  Most  High  behold,1  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  rejects 
the  petitions  of  the  proud:  He  resisteth  the  proud.  He 
looks  at  the  proud  as  from  a  distance.  The  Lord  .  .  . 
looketh  on  the  low,  and  the  high  He  knoweth  afar  off?  When 
we  see  a  person  at  a  distance,  we  know  him  not;  thus 
God  feigns,  as  it  were,  not  to  know  nor  to  hear  the 
proud  when  they  pray  to  him.  They  call  upon  him,  but 
he  answers:  Amen,  I  say  to  you,  I  know  you  not?  In  a  word, 
the  proud  are  hateful  to  God  and  to  men.  Pride,  says 
Ecclesiasticus,  is  hateful  before  God  and  men."  Men  are 
sometimes  compelled  by  necessity  to  pay  external  honor 
to  the  proud;  but  in  their  heart  they  hate  them,  and 
censure  them  before  others.  Where  pride  is,  said  Solo 
mon,  there  also  shall  be  reproach? 

Praising  the  humility  of  St.  Paul,  St.  Jerome  writes: 
"  As  the  shadow  follows  him  who  flies  from  it,  and  flies 
from  him  who  pursues  it,  so  glory  follows  them  who  fly 
from  it,  and  flies  from  them  who  seek  it."e  Our  Lord 
says:  Whosoever  shall  exalt  -himself  shall  be  humbled,  and 
he  that  shall  humble  himself  shall  be  exalted?  A  priest,  for 
example,  does  a  good  work;  he  is  silent  about  it,  but 
as  soon  as  it  is  known,  all  praise  him.  But  if  he  goes 
about  proclaiming  it  to  others,  in  order  to  receive  ap- 

1  "  Oratio  humiliantis  se  nubes  penetrabit;  .  .  .  et  non  discedet, 
donee  Altissimus  aspiciat." — Ecclus.  xxxv.  21. 

'2  "  Excelsus  Dominus,  et  humilia  respicit;  et  alta  a  longe  cognoscit." 
— Ps.  cxxxvii.  6. 

3  "Amen  dico  vobis,  nescio  vos." — Matth.  xxv.  12. 

4  "  Odibilis  coram  Deo  est  et  hominibus  superbia." — Ecchis.  x.  7. 

5  "  Ubi  fuerit  superbia,  ibi  erit  et  contumelia." — Prov.  xi.  2. 

6  "  Fugiendo  gloriam,  gloriam  merebatur,  quse  virtutem  quasi  umbra 
sequitur,  et,  appetitores  sui  deserens,  appetit  contemptores." — Ep.  ad 
Eustoch. 

7  "Qui  autem  se  exaltaverit,  humiliabitur;  et  qui  se  humiHaverit. 
exaltabitur." — Matth.  xxiii.  12. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  309 

plause,  he  shall  earn  reproach  instead  of  praise.  What 
a  shame,  says  St.  Gregory,  to  see  the  teachers  of  humil 
ity  become  by  their  example  teachers  of  pride!.1  You 
may  say,  I  manifest  my  works  to  make  known  the  truth, 
and  to  procure  praise  for  the  Lord;  but  I  answer  in  the 
words  of  Seneca:  "  He  that  cannot  keep  silence  about 
the  thing  itself  will  not  be  silent  about  the  author."8 
Every  one  who  hears  a  priest  speaking  of  his  good 
works  will  suppose  that  he  relates  them  in  order  to  be 
praised;  thus  he  shall  lose  the  esteem  of  men  and  merit 
before  God,  who  seeing  him  praised  according  to  his 
desire,  will  say  to  him  what  he  said  to  the  hypocrites  in 
the  synagogue:  Amen,  I  say  unto  you,  they  have  received  their 
reward?  The  Lord  has  declared  that  three  species  of 
sinners  he  hates  with  a  special  hatred,  and  that  the  first 
is  a  poor  man  that  is  proud.  Three  sorts  my  soul  hateth, 
and  I  am  greatly  grieved  at  their  life:  a  poor  man  that  is 
troudj  a  rich  man  that  is  a  liar;  and  an  old  man  that  is  a 
fool? 

II. 
The  Practice  of  Humility. 

But  let  us  come  to  the  practice  of  humility.  Let  us 
examine  what  we  must  do  in  order  to  be  humble,  not  in 
name,  but  in  reality. 

i.  To  HAVE  A  HORROR  OF  PRIDE. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  necessary  to  entertain  a  great 
fear  of  the  vice  of  pride;  for,  as  has  been  already  said, 
God  resists  the  proud,  and  deprives  them  of  his  graces. 
A  priest,  particularly,  in  order  to  preserve  chastity,  stands 

1  "  Doctores  humilium,  duces  superbiae  \"—Ep.  1.  4,  ep,  32. 
a  "  Qui  rem  non  tacuerit,  non  tacebit  auctorem." — Ep.  105. 

3  "  Amen  dico  vobis,  receperunt  mercedem  suam." — Matth.  vi.  2. 

4  "  Tres  species  odivit  anima  mea:  .   .   .   pauperem  superbum,  divi- 
tem  mendacem,  senem  fatuum." — Ecclus.  xxv.  3. 


3IO  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

in  need  of  a  special  aid  from  God.  But  how  can  a  proud 
priest  practise  that  sublime  virtue  if  in  punishment  of 
his  pride  the  Lord  withholds  his  assistance  ?  Pride,  says 
the  Wise  Man,  is  a  sign  of  approaching  ruin.  The  spirit  is 
lifted  up  before  a  fall?  Hence  St.  Augustine  has  gone  so 
far  as  to  say  that  it  is  in  a  certain  manner  useful  to  the 
proud  to  fall  into  some  manifest  sin,  that  thus  they  may 
learn  humility  and  a  horror  of  themselves.2  This  is  what 
happened  to  David,  who,  as  he  himself  afterwards  con 
fessed  with  tears,  fell  into  adultery  because  he  was  not 
humble:  Before  I  was  humbled,  I  offended?  St.  Gregory 
calls  pride  the  seminary  of  impurity;  because  some, 
while  they  are  exalted  by  the  spirit  of  pride,  are  precipi 
tated  into  hell  by  the  flesh.4  The  spirit  of  pride  easily 
brings  with  it  the  spirit  of  impurity.  The  spirit  of  forni 
cation,  says  the  Prophet  Osee,  is  in  the  midst  of  them,  .  .  . 
and  the  pride  of  Israel  shall  answer  in  his  face. 5  Ask  certai  n 
persons  why  they  always  fall  back  into  the  same  im 
purities;  pride  shall  answer  for  them,  that  it  is  the  cause 
of  their  relapses:  they  are  full  of  self-esteem,  and  there- 
the  Lord  chastises  them  by  permitting  them  to  remain 
immersed  in  their  abominations, — a  chastisement  which, 
as  the  Apostle  says,  has  already  fallen  on  the  wise  of  the 
world:  God  gave  them  up  to  the  desires  of  their  heart,  unto 
uncleanness,  to  dishonor  their  own  bodies  among  themselves? 

1  "  Contritionem    praecedit    superbia;    et    ante    ruinam,    exaltatur 
spiritus." — Prov.  xvi.  18. 

2  "  Audeo  dicere,  superbis  esse  utile  cadere  in  aliquod  apertum  pec- 
catum,  unde  sibi  displiceant." — De  Civ.  D.  1.  14,  c.  13. 

3  "  Priusquam  humiliarer,  ego  deliqui." — Ps.  cxviii.  67. 

4  "  Multis  saepe  superbia  luxuriae  seminarium  fuit;   quia,  dum  eos 
spiritus  quasi  in  altum  erexit,   caro   in   infimis   mersit." — Mor.  1.  26, 
c.  12. 

5  "Spiritus   fornicationum   in   medio   eorum.   .   .   .   Et    respondebit 
arrogantia  Israel  in  facie  ejus." — Osee,  v.  4. 

6  "  Propter  quod  tradidit  illos  Deus  in  desideria  cordis  eorum,  in 
immunditiam,  ut  contumeliis    afficiant  corpora  sua  in  semelipsis." — 
Rom.  i.  24. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  3 1 1 

The  devil  has  no  fear  of  the  proud.  Cesarius  relates1 
that  a  demoniac  being  once  brought  to  a  Cistercian 
monastery,  the  prior  took  with  him  a  young  religious 
who  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  man  of  great  virtue, 
and  said  to  the  evil  spirit:  If  this  monk  shall  command 
you  to  depart,  will  you  dare  to  remain  ?  I  have  no  fear 
of  him,  replied  the  enemy,  because  he  is  proud.  St. 
Joseph  Calasanctius  used  to  say  that  the  devil  treats  a 
proud  priest  as  a  play-toy;  that  is,  he  throws  him  up  and 
pulls  him  down  as  he  pleases. 

Hence  the  saints  have  had  a  greater  dread  of  pride 
and  vainglory  than  of  any  temporal  calamity  that  could 
befall  them.  Surius2  relates  of  a  holy  man  who  was 
greatly  esteemed  and  honored  on  account  of  the  miracles 
that  he  wrought,  that  finding  himself  often  assailed  by 
vainglory,  he  besought  the  Lord  that  he  might  be  pos 
sessed  by  an  evil  spirit;  his  prayer  was  heard,  and  he 
was  possessed  for  five  months.  He  was  then  delivered 
from  the  infernal  spirit,  and  from  the  spirit  of  vanity 
that  molested  him.  For  this  purpose  the  Lord  also  per 
mits  even  saints  to  be  tormented  by  temptations  against 
purity,  and  after  they  pray  to  be  freed  from  them,  he 
leaves  them  as  he  left  St.  Paul,  to  combat  with  the  temp 
tations.  And  lest  the  greatness  of  the  revelations  should  exalt 
me,  there  was  given  me  a  sting  of  tJie  flesh,  an  angel  of  Satan 
to  buffet  me.  For  which  thing  I  thrice  besought  the  Lord,  that 
it  might  depart  from  me.  And  He  said  to  me:  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee ;  for  power  is  made  perfect  in  infirmity? 
Thus,  according  to  St,  Jerome,  a  sting  of  the  flesh  was 
given  to  St.  Paul  to  warn  him  to  be  humble:  "  To  remind 

1  Dial.  1.  4,  c.  5. 

2  8  Jan.   V.  S.  Sever. 

8  "  Et  ne  magnitude  revelationum  extollat  me,  datus  est  mihi  sti 
mulus  carnis  mese,  angelus  Satanse,  qui  me  colaphizet.  Propter  quod 
ter  Dominum  rogavi,  ut  discederet  a  me;  et  dixit  mihi:  Sufficit  tibi 
gratia  mea;  nam  virtus  in  infirmitate  perficitur. " — 2  Cor.  xii.  7. 


3 1 2  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

him  of  human  misery,  and  to  make  him  humble  in  the 
sublimity  of  his  revelations."  '  Hence  St.  Gregory  con 
cludes:  "  To  preserve  chastity  in  all  its  splendor  we  must 
place  it  under  the  care  of  humility."2  Let  us  here  make 
another  reflection.  To  humble  the  pride  of  the  people 
of  Egypt,  the  Lord  sent  not  bears  and  lions,  but  frogs  to 
molest  them.  What  do  I  mean  ?  God  permits  us  to  be 
annoyed  by  certain  little  expressions,  by  certain  little 
aversions,  by  certain  trifles,  that  we  may  know  our 
miseries  and  may  humble  ourselves. 

2.  NOT  TO  GLORY  IN  THE  GOOD  THAT  WE  DO. 

Secondly,  it  is  necessary  to  guard  against  glorying  in 
any  good  that  we  may  do,  particularly  if  we  are  raised 
to  the  height  of  the  priesthood.  The  offices  intrusted 
to  us  are  very  great.  To  us  is  given  the  great  office  of 
offering  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  his  own  Son.  To  us  is 
confided  the  care  of  reconciling  sinners  with  God,  by 
preaching,  and  by  the  administration  of  the  sacraments: 
He  hath  given  to  its  the  ministry  of  reconciliation?  We  are 
ambassadors  and  vicars  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  made 
the  tongues  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  For  Christ  therefore  we 
are  ambassadors,  God  as  it  were  exhorting  by  us?  St.  Jerome 
says  that  the  highest  mountains  are  most  violently  as 
sailed  by  the  tempest:  the  more  exalted,  then,  is  our 
dignity,  the  more  we  are  exposed  to  the  molestation  of 
vainglory.  We  are  esteemed  by  all,  we  are  respected  as 
men  of  learning,  and  as  saints.  He  who  stands  on  a 
great  height  is  in  danger  of  dizziness. 

"  Ad  revelationum  humiliandam  superbiam,  monitor  quidam  huma- 
nse  imbecillitatis  apponitur." — Ep.  ad  Paulam. 

2  "Per  humilitatis  custodiam  servanda  est  munditia  castitatis." — 
Mor.  \.  26,  c.  ii. 

"  Dedit  nobis  ministerium  reconciliationis." — 2  Cor.  v.  18. 
4  "Pro  Christo  ergo  legatione  fungimur,  tamquam  Deo  exhortante 
per  nos." — //;.  20. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  3 1 3 

How  many  priests  have  fallen  into  precipices  because 
they  were  not  humble!  Montanus  wrrought  miracles, 
and  he  afterwards  through  ambition  became  a  heresi- 
arch.  Tatian  wrote  at  great  length  and  with  great  suc 
cess  against  the  pagans,  and  through  pride  he  fell  into 
heresy.  Brother  Justin,  a  Franciscan,  attained  the  high 
est  degree  of  contemplation,  and  he  afterwards  died  an 
apostate  from  religion,  and  was  lost.  In  the  life  of  Pale- 
mon  we  read  that  a  certain  monk  walked  on  fire  and 
boasted  of  it,  saying  to  his  companions,  Which  of  you 
can  walk  on  red-hot  coals  without  being  burnt?  St. 
Palemon  corrected  him,  but  the  unhappy  man,  being  full 
of  himself,  fell  into  sin,  and  died  in  that  miserable  state. 

A  proud  spiritual  man  is  the  worst  of  robbers;  because 
he  usurps  not  earthly  goods,  but  the  glory  of  God. 
Hence, St.  Francis  was  accustomed  to  say:  Lord!  if  Thou 
givest  any  good,  watch  over  it;  otherwise  I  will  steal  it 
from  Thee.  Thus  we  priests  must  pray,  and  say  with 
St,  Paul:  By  the  grace  of  God  I  am  what  la///.1  For  of 
ourselves  we  are  incapable  not  only  of  doing  good 
works,  but  of  even  having  a  good  thought:  Not  that  we 
are  sufficient  to  thinking  anything  of  ourselves?' 

Hence  the  Lord  says  to  us:  When  you  shall  have  done 
all  these  things  that  are  commanded  you,  say:  IVe  are  unprofit 
able  servants:  we  have  done  that  which  we  ought  to  do?  Of 
what  use  can  all  our  works  be  to  God  ?  What  need  can 
he  have  of  our  possessions  ?  /  have  said  to  the  Lord,  said 
David,  Thou  art  my  God,  for  Thou  hast  no  need  of  my  goods? 
And  Job  said:  If  thou  do  justly,  .  .  .  what  sJiall  Jic  receive 


"  Gratia  autem  Dei  sum  id  quod  sum." — i  Cor,  xv.  10. 

2  "  Non  quod  sufficientes  simus  cogitare  aliquid  a  nobis." — 2.  Cor. 
iii.  5- 

3  "Cum  feceritis  omnia  quae  praecepta  sunt  vobis,  dicite:  Servi  inu- 
tiles  sumus;  quod  debuimus  facere,  fecimus." — Luke,  xvii.  10. 

4  "  Deus  meus  es  tu,  quoniam  bonorum  meorum  non  eges." — Ps. 
xv.  2. 


314  Material  for  Instructions.          LPART  n. 

of  Thy  hand.1  What  can  God  receive  from  you  to  increase 
his  riches?  Moreover,  we  are  useless  servants,  because 
however  much  we  do  for  a  God  who  merits  infinite  love, 
and  has  suffered  so  much  for  the  love  of  us,  it  is  all 
nothing.  Hence  the  Apostle  writes:  If  I  preach  the 
Gospel,  it  is  no  glory  to  me,  for  a  necessity  licth  upon  me?  To 
all  that  we  do  for  God  we  are  bound  by  our  obligations 
and  by  gratitude;  particularly  as  all  that  we  do  is  his 
work  more  than  it  is  ours.  Who  would  not  laugh  at  the 
clouds,  if  they  boasted  of  the  rain  that  they  send  down  ? 
This  is  the  language  of  St.  Bernard.3  He  then  adds, 
that  we  ought  to  praise,  not  so  much  the  saints  for  the 
works  that  they  perform,  as  God  who  operates  through 
them.4  St.  Augustine  says  the  same:  "Every  good 
thing,  large  or  small,  is  a  gift  of  God  :  from  ourselves 
comes  what  is  bad."J  And  in  another  .place,  speaking 
to  God,  he  writes:  "Whoever  enumerates  to  Thee  Thy 
merits,  does  he  enumerate  to  Thee  anything  but  Thy 
merits?"6 

Hence,  when  we  do  any  good,  we  must  say  to  the  Lord: 
We  have  given  TJiee  what  we  received  of  TJiy  hand."1  When 
St.  Teresa  performed  any  good  work,  or  saw  a  good  act 
done  by  others,  she  began  to  praise  God  for  it,  saying 
that  it  was  entirely  his  work.  Hence,  St.  Augustine 
remarks,  that  unless  humility  go  before,  pride  will  steal 

1  "  Si  juste  egeris,  quid  donabis  ei,  aut  quid  de  manu  tua  accipiet?" 
— Job,  xxxv.  7. 

2  "Si  evangelizavero.  non  est  mihi  gloria;  necessitas  enim  mihi  in- 
cumbit." — i  Cor.  ix.  16. 

3  "Si  glorientur  nubes,  quod  imbres  genuerint,  quis  non  irrideat?" 
— In  Cant.  s.  13. 

4  "  Laudo  Deum   in   sanctis   suis,   qui,   in   ipsis   manens,  ipse  facit 
opera." — Ibid. 

5  "Si   quid   boni   est,   parvum    vel   magnum,  donum   tuum   est;    et 
nostrum  non  est  nisi  malum." — Solil.  an.  ad  D.  c.  15. 

6  "  Quisquis    tibi    enumerat    merita   sua,   quid    tibi    enumerat,   nisi 
munera  tua?" — Conf.  1.  9,  c.  13. 

1  "  Quae  de  manu  tua  accepimus,  dedimus  tibi." — i  Par.  xxix.  14. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  3 1 5 

from  us  all  the  good  we  do.1  And  in  another  place  he 
says:  "Pride  lays  snares  for  good  works  that  they  may 
be  lost."2  St.  Joseph  Calasanctius  used  to  say,  that  the 
more  God  favors  a  soul  by  special  graces,  the  more  she 
ought  to  humble  herself  that  she  may  not  lose  all.  All 
is  lost  by  every  little  consent  to  self-esteem.  He,  says 
St.  Gregory,  who  performs  many  virtuous  actions,  but 
has  not  humility,  is  like  a  man  who  scatters  dust  before 
the  wind.3  Trithemius  has  written:  "  Thou  hast  despised 
others:  thou  art  become  worse  than  others."4 

The  saints  have  not  only  not  boasted  of  any  perfec 
tion,  but  have  sought  to  make  known  to  others  what 
redounded  to  their  own  contempt.  Father  Villanova, 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  felt  no  repugnance  to  tell  all 
that  his  brother  was  a  poor  workman.  Father  Sacchini, 
also  a  Jesuit,  meeting  in  a  public  place  his  father,  who 
was  a  poor  muleteer,  ran  to  embrace  him,  and  said: 
"Oh,  behold  my  father!"  Let  us  read  the  lives  of  the 
saints,  and  pride  ^shall  depart  from  us:  there  we  shall 
find  the  great  things  that  they  have  done,  at  the  sight 
of  which  we  shall  feel  ashamed  of  the  little  we  have 
done. 

3.  WE  MUST  DISTRUST  OURSELVES. 

Thirdly,  it  is  necessary  to  live  in  contiriual  distrust  of 
ourselves.  Unless  God  assists  us,  we  shall  not  be  able 
to  preserve  ourselves  in  his  grace:  Unless  the  Lord  keep  the 
city,  he  watcheth  in  vain  that  keepetJi  it?  If  God  work  not  in 
us,  we  shall  be  unable  to  do  any  good:  Unless  the  Lord 

1  "  Nisi  humilitas  praecesserit,  totum  extorquet  de  manu  superbia." 
— Ep.  1 1 8,  E.  B. 

2  "Superbia  bonis  operibus  insidiatur,  ut  pereant." — Ib.  211. 

3  "  Qui  sine  humilitate  virtutes  congregat,  quasi  in  ventum  pulverem 
portat." — In  Ps.  pcenit.  3. 

4  "  Caeteros  contempsisti;  caeteris  pejor  factus  es." 

5  "  Nisi  Dominus  custodierit  civitatem,  frustra  vigilat,  qui  custodit 
earn." — Ps.  cxxvi.  I. 


3 1 6  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it.1  Some  saints, 
with  very  moderate  learning,  have  converted  entire  na 
tions.  By  certain  discourses  that  he  preached  in  Rome, 
though  the  language  was  simple,  and  even  incorrect 
(for  he  had  but  an  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  Italian 
tongue),  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  because  his  words  came 
from  a  heart  that  was  humble  and  enamoured  of  God, 
produced  such  an  effect  on  the  hearers  that  they  instant 
ly  went  to  confession,  but  could  scarcely  speak  on  ac 
count  of  the  many  tears  that  they  shed.2  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  many  learned  theologians,  with  all  their 
science  and  eloquence,  preach  without  converting  a 
single  soul.  In  them  are  verified  the  words  of  the 
Prophet  Osee:  Give  them  a  womb  without  children,  and  dry 
breasts?  Such  preachers,  because  they  are  puffed  up  with 
their  learning,  resemble  unfruitful  mothers,  they  have 
the  name,  but  are  without  children.  And  should  they 
be  intrusted  with  the  child  of  another,  with  an  infant 
that  stands  in  need  of  milk,  the  little  one  shall  die  of 
hunger,  for  the  paps  of  the  proud  are  filled  with  wind 
and  smoke,  but  give  no  milk:  Knowledge  puff eth  up*  To 
this  evil  the  proud  are  subject.  It  is,  as  Cardinal  Bel- 
larmine  wrote  to  one  of  his  nephews,  difficult  for  a  man 
of  learning  to  be  humble,  not  to  despise  others,  not  to 
censure  their  acts,  not  to  be  full  of  his  own  opinions;  he 
will  hardly  submit  willingly  to  the  judgment  and  cor 
rection  of  others. 

It  is  true  that  we  ought  not  to  preach  at  random,  or 
without  consideration  and  study;  but  after  we  have 
studied  the  discourse,  and  after  we  have  delivered  it 
with  zeal  and  success,  we  ought  to  say:  We  are  unprofit- 

1  "  Nisi  Dominus  aedificaverit  domum,  in  vanum  laboraverunt,  qui 
sedificant  earn." — Ps.  cxxvi.  i. 
8  Ribadeneira,    Vit.  1.  3,  c.  2. 

3  "  Da  eis  vulvam  sine  liberis  et  ubera  arentia." — Osee,  ix.  14. 

4  "Scientia  inflat." — I  Cor.  viii.  i. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  3 1 7 

able  servants,1  and  should  expect  the  fruit,  not  from  our 
own  labors,  but  from  the  hands  of  God.  And  what 
proportion  can  there  ever  be  between  our  words  and  the 
conversion  of  sinners  ?  Shall  the  axe  boast  itself  against 
him  that  cutteth  with  it  J*  Can  the  axe  say  to  him  who 
fells  the  tree:  This  tree  I,  and  not  you,  have  cut  down? 
We  are  like  so  many  pieces  of  iron,  incapable  even  of 
motion,  unless  God  moves  us:  Without  Me, you  cati  do 
nothing?  On  this  passage  St.  Augustine  writes:  "The 
Lord  does  not  say,  Without  me  you  can  do  but  little, 
but  he  says,  Without  me  you  can  do  nothing."4  And 
the  Apostle  has  said:  Not  that  we  are  sufficient  to  think  any 
thing  of  ourselves?  If  we  are  incapable  of  having  even  a 
good  thought  of  ourselves,  how  much  less  shall  we  be 
able  to  perform  a  good  action  !  Neither  he  that planteth  is 
anything,  nor  he  that  water eth:  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase? 
It  is  neither  the  preacher,  nor  the  confessor  who  exhorts 
them,  that  makes  souls  advance  in  virtue:  no,  it  is  God 
that  does  all.  "  Let  us,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "  call 
ourselves  useless  servants,  that  we  may  be  made  useful." 7 
Whenever,  then,  we  are  praised,  let  us  instantly  give  the 
honor  to  God,  saying:  To  the  only  God  be  honor  and  glory? 
And  when  any  office  or  work  is  given  us  by  obedience, 
let  us  not  be  diffident  at  the  sight  of  our  inability,  but 
let  us  have  confidence  in  God,  who  speaks  to  us  by  the 

1  "  Servi  inutiles  sumus." 

8  "  Numquid  gloriabitur  securis  contra  eum  qui  secat  in  ea?"— Isa. 
x.  15. 

3  "Sine  me  nihil  potestis  facere."— John,  xv.  5. 

4  "  Non  ait,  quia  sine  me  parum  potestis  facere,  sed  nihil." — In  Jo. 
tr.  81. 

5  "Non  quod  sufficientes  simus  cogitare  aliquid  a  nobis." — 2  Cor. 
iii.  5. 

6  "  Neque  qui  plantat,  est  aliquid,   neque  qui  rigat,   sed  qui  incre- 
mentum  dat,  Deus." — I  Cor.  iii.  7. 

7  "  Nos  dicamus  inutiles,  ut  utiles  efficiamur." — Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  38. 

8  "  Soli  Deo  honor  et  gloria." — i  7V;//.  i.  17. 


3 1 8  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  IT. 

mouth  of  our  Superior,  and  says  to  us:  I  will  be  in  thy 
mouth.1 

Gladly,  says  the  Apostle,  will  I  glory  in  my  infirmities, 
that  the  power  of  Christ  may  dwell  in  me?  We,  too,  should 
say  the  same:  we  should  glory  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
insufficiency,  that  thus  we  may  acquire  the  power  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  is,  holy  humility.  Oh,  what  great 
things  do  the  humble  effect  !  "  Nothing,"  says  St.  Leo, 
"is  difficult  to  the  humble."3  No,  for  the  humble, 
trusting  in  God,  act  with  the  strength  of  the  divine 
arm,  ani  therefore  they  effect  whatsoever  they  wish. 
They  that  hope  in  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength*  St. 
Joseph  Calasanctius  used  to  say,  that  the  man  who 
wishes  that  God  should  make  him  do  great  things 
must  labor  to  be  the  most  humble  of  all.  The  humble 
man  says:  I  can  do  all  things  in  Him  who  strengthened  me? 
When  he  finds  an  undertaking  difficult,  he  does  not 
lespair  of  success,  but  says:  Through  God  we  shall  do 
mightily?  Jesus  Christ  did  not  wish  to  select  men  of 
power  and  learning  for  the  conversion  of  the  world,  but 
poor  ignorant  fishermen,  because  they  were  humble,  and 
distrustful  of  their  own  strength.  The  weak  things  of  the 
world  hath  God  chosen  that  He  may  confound  the  strong.  .  .  . 
That  all  flesh  should  not.  glory  in  His  sight? 

Even  when  we  see  that  we  are  subject  to  defects  we 
must  not  be  diffident.  Though  we  should  relapse  into 
the  same  faults  after  many  purposes,  and  many  promises 

1  "  Ego  ero  in  ore  tuo." — Exod.  iv.  15. 

2  "  Libenter  igitur  gloriabor  in  infirmitadbus  meis,  ut  inhabitet  in 
me  virtus  Christi." — i  Cor.  xii.  9. 

3  "  Nihil  arduum  est  humilibus." — De  Epiph.  s.  5. 

4  "  Qui  autem  sperant  in  Domino,   mutabunt  fortitudinem." — Isa,. 
xl.  31. 

5  "  Omnia  possum  in  eo,  qui  me  confortat." — Phil.  iv.  13. 

6  "  In  Deo  faciemus  virtutem." — Ps.  lix.  14. 

7  "  Infirma  mundi    elegit    Deus,  ut    confundat  fortia,   .   .   .  ut  non 
glorietur  omnis  caro  in  conspectu  ejus." — i  Cor.  i.  27. 


INSTR.  vi.]  'Humility. 


319 


made  to  God,  we  should  not  abandon  ourselves  to  diffi 
dence,  as  the  devil  tempts  us  to  do,  in  order  to  precipi 
tate  us  into  greater  sins;  but  we  must  then,  more  than 
ever,  trust  in  God's  goodness,  making  use  of  our  failings 
to  increase  our  confidence  in  the  divine  mercy.  Thus 
we  are  to  understand  the  words  of  the  Apostle:  All  things 
work  together  unto  good.1  The  Gloss  adds:  Even  sins.9 
Hence  our  Lord  sometimes  permits  us  to  fall  or  to  re 
lapse  into  a  defect,  that  thus  we  may  learn  to  distrust 
ourselves,  and  to  confide  only  in  the  divine  aid.  Hence 
David  said:  It  is  good  for  me  that  Thou  hast  humbled  vie? 
Lord,  Thou  hast  permitted  these  my  faults  for  my  good, 
that  I  may  learn  to  be  humble. 

4.  To  ACCEPT  HUMILIATIONS. 

Fourthly,  to  acquire  humility,  it  is,  above  all,  neces 
sary  to  accept  humiliations  that  come  to  us  from  God 
and  from  men,  and  in  the  time  of  humiliation  to  say 
with  Job:  I  have  sinned,  and  indeed  I  have  offended,  and  I 
have  not  received  what  I  deserved?  Some,  as  St.  Gregory5 
remarks,  say  with  the  tongue  that  they  are  sinners,  that 
they  are  wicked,  and  deserving  of  every  species  of  con 
tempt;  but  they  do  not  believe  what  they  say,  for 
when  despised  or  reproved  by  others  they  are  disturbed. 
"Many,"  says  St.  Ambrose  in  a  letter  to  Constance, 
"have  the  appearance  of  humility,  but  not  the  virtue  of 
humility.'"  Cassian7  relates  that  a  certain  monk,  who 
used  to  protest  that  he  was  a  great  sinner,  and  unworthy 
of  living  on  earth,  was  corrected  by  .the  abbot  Serapion 

"  Omnia  cooperantur  in  bonum." — Rom.  viii.  28. 
2  "  Etiam  peccata." 

"  Bonum  mihi-  quia  humiliasti  me." — Ps.  cxviii.  71. 

"Peccavi  et  vere  deliqui,  et,  ut  eram  dignus,  non  recepi."— -Job, 
xxxiii.  27. 

5  Mor.  1.  22,  c.  14. 

"Multihabenthumilitatisspeciem,  virtutem  nonhabent." — Ep.  44. 
1  Collat.  1 8,  c.  ii. 


320  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

for  a  considerable  fault,  which  consisted  in  going  about 
idly  to  the  cells  of  the  other  monks  instead  of  remaining 
in  his  own,  according  to  his  rule.  The  monk  became 
instantly  agitated,  so  as  to  manifest  externally  the  dis 
turbed  state  of  his  interior.  The  abbot  said  to  him: 
"  My  son,  hitherto  you  have  declared  that  you  deserved 
nothing  but  opprobrium,  and  why  are  you  now  so  in 
dignant  at  a  word  of  charity  that  I  have  said  to  you  ?" 
The  same  happens  to  many  who  would  wish  to  be 
esteemed  humble,  but  are  unwilling  to  suffer  any 
humiliation.  There  is,  says  Ecclesiasticus,  one  who  hum- 
bleth  himself  wickedly,  and  his  interior  is  full  of  deceit.1 
St.  Bernard  has  said  that  to  seek  praise  from  humility 
is  not  humility,  but  the  destruction  of  humility.2  To 
seek  praise  from  humility  only  foments  pride  by  the 
desire  of  being  reputed  humble.  He  who  is  truly 
humble  has  a  low  opinion  of  himself,  and  wishes  others 
to  think  of  him  as  he  thinks  himself.  "  He  is  humble," 
says  St.  Bernard,  "  who  converts  humiliations  into 
humility."  :  The  truly  humble  man,  when  treated  with 
contempt,  humbles  himself  still  more,  and  acknowledges 
that  he  justly  deserves  the  humiliation. 

Finally,  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  unless  we  are  humble 
we  shall  not  only  do  no  good,  but  we  shall  not  be  saved. 
Unless  you  .  .  .  become  as  little  children,  you  shall  not  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  In  order,  then,  to  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  we  must  become  children,  not 
in  age,  but  in  humiljty.  St.  Gregory  says  that  as  pride 
is  a  sign  of  reprobation,  so  humility  is  a  mark  of  pre- 

1  "  Est  qui  nequiter  humiliat  se,  et  interiora  ejus  plena  sunt  dolo." 
— Ecclus.  xix.  23. 

2  "Appetere  de  humilitate  laudem,  humilitatis  est,  non  virtus,  sed 
subversio." — In  Cant.  s.  16. 

3  "  Est  humilis,  qui  humiliationem  convertit  in  humilitatem." — Ib. 
s.  34. 

4  "Nisi  conversi  fueritis,  et  efficiamini  sicut  parvuli    non  intrabitis 
in  regnum  coelorum." — Matth.  xviii.  3. 


INSTR.  vi.]  Humility.  321 

destination.1  And  St.  James  has  wrftten,  that  God  re- 
sisteth  the  proud,  and giveth  grace  to  the  humble?  From  the 
proud  God  withholds  his  graces,  but  to  the  humble  he 
opens  his  hand  and  dispenses  his  favors.  Be  humble, 
says  Ecclesiasticus,  and  expect  from  the  hands  of  God 
as  many  graces  as  you  desire.  Humble  thyself  to  God, 
and  wait  for  His  hands?  And  our  Saviour  has  said: 
Amen,  amen,  I  say  to  you,  unless  the  grain  of  wheat  falling 
into  the  ground  die,  itself  remaineth  alone.  But  if  it  die,  it 
bringeth  forth  much  fridt?  A  priest  who  dies  to  self- 
love  shall  produce  great  fruit;  but -he  who  dies  not  to 
himself,  and  resents  insults  or  trusts  in  his  own  talents, 
remaineth  alone  :  he  remains  alone,  and  will  produce  no 
fruit  for  himself  or  others. 

1  "  Reproborum  signum  superbia  est;   at  contra,  humilitas  electo- 
rum." — Mor.  1.  34,  c.  22. 

2  "  Deus  superbis  resistit;  humilibus  autem  dat  gratiam."— -James, 
iv.  6. 

3  "  Humiliate  Deo,  exspecta  manus  ejus." — Ecclus.  xiii.  9. 

4  "Amen,    amen,    dico   vobis:    nisi    granum    frumenti    cadens    in 
terram,   mortuum   fuerit,   ipsurh    solum    manet;   si   autem   mortuum 
fuerit,  multum  fructum  affert." — John,  xii.  24. 

21 


322  Material  for  Instructions.          [FARTII. 


INSTRUCTION   VII. 

MEEKNESS. 

Learn  of  Me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart? 
Meekness  is  the  virtue  of  the  lamb:  lamb  is  the  name 
by  which  Jesus  Christ  wished  to  be  called:  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God?  Send  forth,  O  Lord,  the  Lamb,  the  ruler  of  the 
earth?  And  like  a  lamb  he  conducted  himself  in  his 
Passion.  He  shall  be  dumb  as  a  lamb  before  his  shearer, 
and  he  shall  not  open  his  mouth?  As  a  meek  lamb  that  is  car 
ried  to  be  a  victim?  Meekness  was  the  beloved  virtue  of 
the  Saviour.  He  showed  the  extent  of  his  meekness  in 
doing  good  to  the  ungrateful,  in  submitting  sweetly  to 
his  enemies,  and  in  bearing  without  complaint  all  that 
insulted  and  maltreated  him.  Who,  when  He  was  reviled, 
did  not  revile  :  when  He  suffered,  He  threatened  not,  but  de 
livered  Himself  to  him  who  judged  Him  unjustly?  After 
being  scourged,  crowned  with  thorns,  covered  with 
spittle,  nailed  to  a  cross,  and  saturated  with  opprobrium, 
he  forgot  all,  and  prayed  for  those  that  had  thus  mal 
treated  him.  Hence  he  has  exhorted  us,  above  all 
things,  to  learn  from  his  example  humility  and  meek 
ness.  Learn  of  Me,  because  I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart? 

1  "  Discite  a  me  quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  corde." — Matth.  xi.  29. 
-  "  Ecce  Agnus  Dei." — John,  i.  29. 

3  "  Emitte  Agnum,  Domine,  dominatorem  terrae." — Isa.  xvi.  i. 

4  "Quasi  agnus  coram  tondente  se,  obmutescet,  et  non  aperiet  os 
suum." — Ib,  liii.  7. 

5  "Quasi  agnus  mansuetus  qui  portatu-r  ad  victimam." — Jcr.  xi.  19. 
6"Qui,  cum  malediceretur,   non  maledicebat;  cum   pateretur,  non 

comminabatur." — i  Pet.  ii.  23. 

7  "  Discite  a  me  quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  corde." 


INSTR.  vii.]  Meekness.  323 

St.  John  Chrysostom  says  that  meekness  is,  of  all  vir 
tues,  that  which  renders  us  most  like  to  God.1  Yes,  for 
it  belongs  only  to  God  to  render  good  for  evil.  Hence 
the  Redeemer  has  said:  Do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  .  .  . 
that  you  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven? 
Hence,  according  to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  Jesus  Christ 
has  called  the  meek  imitators  of  God.3 

To  the  meek,  paradise  is  promised.  Blessed  are  the 
meek,  for  they  shall  possess  the  land.''  St.  Francis  de  Sales 
says  that  meekness  is  the  flower  of  charity.5  And  Eccle- 
siasticus  has  said:  That  which  is  agreeable  to  Him  is  faith 
and  meekness!'  A  meek  and  faithful  heart  is  the  delight 
of  God.  He  knows  not  how  to  cast  off  the  meek.  The 
Lord  lifted  up  the  meek}  The  prayers  of  the  humble  and 
meek  are  very  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  prayer 
of  the  humble  and  the  meek  hath  always  pleased  Thee? 

The  virtue  of  meekness  consists  in  two  things:  i.  In 
restraining  the  motions  of  passion  against  those  that 
provoke  us  to  anger;  and,  2d,  In  bearing  insults. 

I. 

We  must  Repress  Anger. 

With  regard  to  the  first,  St.  Ambrose  says  that  the 
passion  of  anger  ought  to  be  either  avoided  or  restrained.9 

1  "  Mansuetudo  prse  cseteris  virtutibus  nos  Deo  conformes  facit." — 
In  Rom.  horn.  19. 

2  "  Benefacite  his  qui  oderunt  vos,   .   .   .  ut  sitis  filii  Patris  vestri 
qui  in  coelis  est,  qui  solem  suum  oriri  facit  super  bonos  et  malos." — 
Matth.  v.  44. 

3  "Eos   solos   qui   mansuetudine    conspicui   sunt,    Dei    imitatores 
Christus  nominat." — Serm.  de  Mansuetud. 

4  "  Beati  mites,  quoniam  ipsi  possidebunt  terram." — Matth.  v.  4. 

5  "  Introd.  p.  3,  ch.  8. 

"Quod  beneplacitum  est  illi,  fides  et  mansuetudo." — Ecclus.  i.  34. 

7  "  Suscipiens  mansuetos  Dominus." — Ps.  cxlvi.  6. 

8  "  Humilium  et  mansuetorum  semper  tibi  placuit   deprecatio." — 
Judith,  ix.  16. 

9  "Caveatur  iracundia,  aut  cohibeatur." — Offic.  1.  i,  c.  21. 


324  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

He  who  feels  himself  prone  to  the  vice  of  anger  should 
endeavor  to  avoid  the  occasions  of  it;  and  should  he 
through  necessity  be  exposed  to  them,  he  ought  to  pre 
pare  himself  beforehand  by  good  resolutions  either  to 
be  silent,  to  answer  with  sweetness,  or  to  pray  to  God 
for  strength  to  resist  the  temptation,  and  not  to  yield  to 
passion.  Some  excuse  themselves  by  saying  such  a 
person  is  very  impertinent,  his  conduct  is  insufferable. 
But,  according  to  St.  John  Chrysostom,  the  virtue  of 
meekness  consists  not  in  being  agreeable  to  the  meek, 
but  in  treating  with  sweetness  those  that  know  not 
what  meekness  is.1  When  a  neighbor  is  enraged  there 
is  no  better  means  of  appeasing  his  anger  than  by 
answering  with  sweetness.  A  mild  answer  breaketh 
wrath?  As  water  extinguishes  fire,  so,  says  St.  John 
Chrysostom,  a  mild  answer  softens  the  anger  of  a  brother, 
however  great  may  be  his  excitement.3  This  is  con 
formable  to  the  words  of  Ecclesiasticus:  A  sweet  word 
multiplieth  friends  and appeaseth  enemies?  St.  John  Chrys 
ostom  adds:  "We  cannot  extinguish  fire  by  fire." '' 
Even  towards  sinners  the  most  abandoned,  obstinate, 
and  insolent  we  priests  must  exercise  all  possible  meek 
ness  in  order  to  draw  them  to  God.  Hugh  of  St.  Victor 
has  written:  "  You  must  know  the  faults,  not  to  punish 
them,  but  the  diseases  to  heal  them.'"  When,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  feel  ourselves  assailed  by  any  motion  of 

1  "Cum  his  qui  sunt  a  mansuetudine  alienissimi,  tune  virtus  osten- 
ditur." — In  Ps.  119. 

'2  "  Responsio  mollis  frangit  iram." — Prov,  xv.  I. 

3  "  Sicut  rogum  accensum  aqua  exstinguit,   ita   animam  ira  sestu- 
antem  verbum  cum  mansuetudine  prolatum  mitigat." — /;/  Gen.  horn. 
58. 

4  "Verbum  dulce  multiplicat  amicos,  et  mitigat  inimicos." — Ecclus. 
vi.  5. 

5  "  Igne  non  potest  ignis  exstingui,  nee  furor  furore." 

6  "  Vos  non,  quasi  judices  criminum,  ad   percutiendum  positi  estis 
sed,  quasi  judices  morborum,  ad  sanandum." — Misc.  1.  I,  ///.  49. 


INSTR.  vii.]  Meekness.  325 

anger,  the  remedy  is  to  be  silent,  and  to  ask  strength 
from  God  not  to  make  a  reply.  "  The  best  remedy," 
says  Seneca,  "  is  in  delay,'' 1  for  should  we  speak  while 
we  are  inflamed  with  passion,  what  we  say  will  appear 
reasonable,  but  it  will  be  unjust  and  sinful.  For  passion 
is  a  certain  veil  that  covers  the  eyes  of  the  soul,  and 
does  not  permit  us  to  see  the  unreasonableness  of  our 
reply.  "  The  eye  disturbed  by  anger  cannot  see,"  says 
St.  Bernard.2  Sometimes  it  appears  to  us  just,  and 
even  necessary,  to  repress  the  boldness  of  a  person  who 
treats  us  with  insolence:  for  example,  of  an  inferior 
who  acts  disrespectfully  towards  us.  It  would  indeed 
be  right  in  such  circumstances  to  show  moderate  dis 
pleasure;  to  be,  as  the  angelic  Doctor  says,  angry  ac 
cording  to  right  reason.3  This  is  conformable  to  the 
words  of  David:  Be  ye  angry,  and  sin  not?  This  would 
be  right  if  in  such  anger  there  were  no  fault  on  our 
part;  but  in  this  consists  the  difficulty.  To  leave  one's 
self  in  the  hand  of  anger  is  a  very  dangerous  thing: 
you  might  as  well  mount  a  furious  horse  that  refuses  to 
obey  the  bit,  and  carries  you  wheresoever  he  pleases. 
Hence  St.  Francis  de  Sales,  in  the  Devout  Life,5  says 
that  however  just  the  reason  of  our  anger,  it  is  always 
expedient  to  restrain  it;  and  that  it  is  better  for  you  to 
have  it  said  that  you  are  never  angry  than  that  you  are 
wisely  angry.  When,  says  St.  Augustine,6  anger  has 
entered  the  soul,  it  is  difficult  to  expel  it.  Hence  he 
exhorts  us  in  the  beginning  to  close  the  gate  that  anger 
may  not  enter.  When  a  person  who  is  corrected  sees 
his  Superior  in  a  passion,  he  will  derive  but  little  fruit 


1  "  Maximum  remedium  est  irae,  mora." — De  Ira,  1.  2,  c.  28. 

2  "  Turbatus  prse  ira  oculus  rectum   non  videt."— De  Consid,  1.  2, 
c.  ii. 

3  "  Secundum  rectam  rationem  irasci." — 2.  2,  q.  158,  a.  I. 

4  "  Irascimini,  et  nolite  peccare." — Ps.  iv.  5. 

6  Inirod.  p.  3,  ch.  8.  6  E£.  38,  E.  &. 


326  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

from  the  admonition:  he  will  regard  it  as  the  effect 
of  anger  rather  than  of  charity.  A  single  admonition 
given  with  sweetness  and  a  tranquil  countenance  will 
do  more  good  than  a  thousand  reproaches,  however 
just,  accompanied  with  motions  or  expressions  of  anger. 
But  to  be  meek  does  not  imply  that  in  order  to  show 
kindness  or  to  avoid  the  displeasure  of  another  we 
should  omit  to  correct  him  with  just  rigor,  when  such 
correction  is  necessary.  To  omit  correction  in  that 
case  would  not  be  virtue,  but  a  culpable  and  abomi- 
able  negligence.  Wo,  says  the  Prophet,  to  him  who 
furnishes  a  pillow  to  sinners  that  they  may  peacefully 
sleep  in  their  deadly  slumber.  Wo  to  them  that  sew 
cushions  under  every  elbow;  and  make  pillows  for  the  heads 
of  persons  of  every  age,  to  catch  souls:  .  .  .  you  have  strength 
ened  the  hands  of  the  wicked  that  he  should  not  return  from 
his  evil  way  and  live.1  This  vicious  condescension,  says 
St.  Augustine,  "  is  not  charity,  but  carelessness."  2  It  is 
neither  charity  nor  meekness,  but  it  is  negligence,  and 
even  cruelty,  to  the  poor  souls  that  thus  remain  in  the 
state  of  damnation,  without  being  admonished  of  their 
miserable  condition.  St.  Cyprian  says  that  when  the 
sick  man  feels  the  knife  he  assails  the  surgeon;  but 
when  he  is  cured  he  will  thank  him."  Meekness,  then, 
implies  that  when  it  is  necessary  to  correct  a  brother 
we  should  do  it  with  firmness,  but  at  the  same  time 
with  sweetness.  And  when  it  is  our  duty  to  correct 
others,  the  Apostle  exhorts  us  first  to  consider  our  own 
defects,  that  we  may  have  compassion  for  our  neighbor 

1  "  Vse,  quae  consuunt  pulvillos  sub  omni  cubito  manus,  et  faciunt 
cervicalia  sub  capite  universse  setatis,  ad  capiendas  animas!  .  .  .  Et 
confortastis  manus  impii,  ut  non  reverteretur  a  via  sua  mala,  et 
viveret." — Ezech.  xiii.  18. 

8  "  Non  est  ista  charitas,  sed  languor." — In  i  Jo.  tr.  7. 

3  "Licet  conqueratur  aeger  impatiens  per  dolorem,  gratias  aget 
postmodum,  cumsenserit  sanitatem." — DC  La£sis. 


INSTR.  vii.]  Meekness.  327 

as  we  have  for  ourselves.  Brethren,  if  a  man  be  overtaken 
in  a  fault,  you  who  are  spiritual  instruct  such  a  one  in  the 
spirit  of  meekness,  considering  thyself  lest  thou  also  be 
tempted.1  Peter  de  Blois  says  that  it  is  great  baseness  in 
a  Superior  to  correct  an  inferior  with  anger  and  asper 
ity.2  Anger  so  disfigures  the  face  that  it  gives  to  the 
most  beautiful  countenance  a  horrible  appearance,  says 
Seneca.3  In  this  matter,  then,  we  should  always  attend 
to  the  admonition  of  St.  Gregory:  "  Be  kind,  yet  with 
out  effeminacy;  use  rigor,  but  without  exasperating; 
be  merciful,  without  sparing  more  than  is  expedient."4 

Physicians,  says  St.  Basil,5  should  not  get  angry  with 
a  patient,  but  should  only  assail  his  disease  in  order  to 
restore  his  health.  Cassian  relates  6  that  a  young  re 
ligious  who  was  violently  tempted  against  chastity 
sought  advice  from  an  aged  monk;  but  instead  of  assist 
ing  and  encouraging  him,  the  old  man  loaded  him  with 
reproaches.  But  what  was  the  result  ?  The  Lord  per 
mitted  the  aged  monk  to  be  so  violently  attacked  by  the 
spirit  of  impurity  that  he  ran  like  a  madman  through 
the  monastery.  Having  heard  of  his  indiscretion  towards 
the  young  man,  the  abbot  went  to  him,  and  said: 
"  Brother,  know  that  God  has  permitted  you  to  be 
molested  by  this  temptation,  that  you  may  learn  to  take 
compassion  on  others." 

When,  therefore,  we  witness  the  weaknesses  and  faults 
of  others,  we  ought  not  to  reprove  them  with  a  vain 
conceit  of  ourselves:  but  in  applying,  to  the  best  of  our 

1  "  Fratres.  et  si   prseoccupatus  fuerit  homo  in  aliquo  delicto,  vos 
qui   spirituales    estis,    hujusmodi    instruite    in    spiritu   lenitatis,   con- 
siderans  teipsum,  ne  et  tu  tenteris." — Gal.  vi.  I. 

2  "  Turpe  quidem  est  in  prselato,  cum  ira  et  austeritate  corripere." 
—Ep.  100. 

3  "  Facies  turbatior,  pulcherrima  ora  foedavit." — De  Ira,  \.  2,  c.  35. 

4  "Sit  amor,  sed  non  emolliens;  sit  rigor,  sed.  non  exasperans;  sit 
pietas,  sed  non  plus,  quam  expediat,  parcens." — Mor.  \.  20,  c.  6. 

5  Reg.  fus.  disp.  int.  51,  6  Collat.  2,  c.  13. 


328  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

ability,  a  remedy  to  their  faults,  we  should  be  humble 
in  our  own  estimation:  otherwise  God  will  permit  us  to 
fall  into  the  very  defects  that  we  condemn  in  others. 
The  same  Cassian  '  relates  that  a  certain  abbot,  called 
Machete,  confessed  that  he  had  miserably  fallen  into 
three  faults  of  which  he  had  before  judged  his  brethren. 
Hence  St.  Augustine  says  that  compassion  for  our 
neighbor,  and  not  indignation,  should  precede  correc 
tion.2  And  St.  Gregory  tells  us  that  the  consideration 
of  our  own  defects  will  make  us  pity  and  excuse  the 
faults  of  others.3 

Thus  to  yield  to  anger  is  never  profitable  to  ourselves 
or  to  others.  If  it  produce  no  other  evil,  it  at  least  robs 
us  of  peace.  Agrippinus  the  philosopher  having  once 
lost  some  of  his  goods,  said:  "  If  I  have  lost  my  prop 
erty  I  will  not  lose  my  peace."  The  disturbance  of  mind 
to  which  we  give  way  on  account  of  the  maltreatment 
we  receive  from  others  is  more  hurtful  to  us  than  the 
injuries  offered  to  us.  Seneca  has  said:  "  My  anger 
will  hurt  me  more  than  their  insults."4  He  who  in 
dulges  anger  when  an  affront  is  offered  to  him  is  a 
cause  of  pain  to  himself.  "  Thou  hast  decreed,  O  Lord !" 
says  St.  Augustine,  "  that  the  soul  that  is  inordinate 
should  be  its  own  torment. "f 

Hence  that  great  master  of  meekness,  St.  Francis  de 
Sales,0  teaches  that  it  is  necessary  to  practise  meekness 
not  only  to  others,  but  also  to  ourselves.  After  yield 
ing  to  a  fault,  some  are  indignant  with  themselves,  and 

1  De  Cccnob.  inst.  1.  5,  c.  30. 

2  "  Reprehensionem,  non  odium,  sed  misericordia  preecedat." — De 
Serm.  D.  in  monte,  1.  2,  c.  19. 

3  "  Considerata   infirmitas    propria,   mala  nobis  excusat  aliena."- 
Mor.  1.  5,  c.  33. 

4  "  Plus  mihi  nocitura  est  ira,  quam  injuria. " — DC  Ira,  \.  3,  c.  25. 

5  "  Jussisti  ut  poena  sua  sibi  sit  omnis  inordinatus  animus." — Conf. 
1.  i,  c.  12. 

6  Introd.  p.  3,  ch.  q. 


INSTR.  vii.]  Meekness.  329 

give  way  to  disquietude,  and  in  this  state  of  agitation 
they  commit  a  thousand  faults.  In  troubled  water, 
says  St.  Aloysius  Gonzaga,  the  devil  always  finds  fish 
to  catch.  It  is  necessary,  then,  when  we  perceive  that 
we  have  fallen  into  a  defect,  not  to  be  disturbed  (to  give 
way  to  disquietude  after  a  fault  is  the  effect  of  our  own 
pride,  and  of  the  high  opinion  we  had  of  our  own  vir 
tue),  but  to  humble  ourselves  peacefully,  to  detest  the 
sin,  and  instantly  to  have  recourse  to  God,  hoping  to 
receive  from  him  help  to  avoid  a  relapse. 

In  a  word,  they  who  are  truly  humble  and  meek  live 
always  in  peace,  and  in  every  occurrence  preserve  tran 
quillity  of  soul.  Learn  of  Me,  says  Jesus  Christ,  because 
I  am  meek  and  humble  of  heart,  and  you  shall  find  rest  to 
your  souls.1  And  before  him,  David  said:  The  meek  shall 
inherit  the  land,  and  shall  delight  in  abundance  of  peace? 
"Nothing  is  able  to  disturb  their  serenity,"3  says  St. 
Leo.  No  insult,  no  loss,  no  misfortune,  disturbs  the 
peace  of  a  meek  heart. 

Should  we  feel  angry  on  any  occasion,  we  must  en 
deavor  (according  to  the  advice  of  the  holy  bishop  of 
Geneva)  to  repress  passion  without  waiting  to  examine 
whether  it  is  right  or  not  to  subdue  it.  And  after  a 
dispute,  which  may  perhaps  have  disturbed  our  peace, 
let  us  observe  the  advice  of  the  Apostle:  Let  not  the  sun 
go  down  upon  your  anger.  Give  not  place  to  the  devil?  Let 
us  first  put  our  soul  in  peace,  and  then  be  reconciled 
to  the  person  by  whom  we  have  been  offended,  lest 
through  that  spark  the  devil  should  kindle  in  our  souls 
a  deadly  flame  that  may  cause  our  ruin. 

"  Discite  a  me  quia  mitis  sum  et  humilis  corde,  et  invenietis   re 
quiem  animabus  vestris." — Matth.  xi.  2g. 

2  "  Mansueti  autem  hereditabunt  terram,  et  delectabuntur  in  mul- 
titudine  pads." — Ps.  xxxvi.  u. 

3  "  Nihil  asperum  mitibus." — De  Epiph.  s.  5. 

4  "Sol  non   occidat  super  iracundiam   vestram;  nolite  locum   dare 
diabolo." — Efihes^  iv.  26. 


330  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

n. 

We  must  Bear  Contempt. 

Secondly,  the  virtue  of  meekness  consists  still  more 
in  bearing  insults.  Many,  says  St.  Francis  of  Assisi, 
place  their  sanctification  in  saying  many  prayers,  or  in  the 
practice  of  many  corporal  mortifications,  but  afterwards 
they  cannot  bear  an  offensive  word.  "  Not  understand 
ing,"  says  the  saint,  "  of  what  profit  it  is  to  bear  in 
sults."  A  soul  gains  more  by  peacefully  bearing  an 
affront  than  by  fasting  for  ten  days  on  bread  and 
water. 

St.  Bernard  says  that  there  are  three  degrees  of  ad 
vancement,  to  which  a  soul  that  wishes  to  be  a  saint, 
ought  to  aspire.  The  first  is  not  to  wish  for  authority 
over  others;  the  second,  to  wish  to  be  subject  to  all; 
the  third  is  to  bear  insults  with  peace.2  You  will,  for 
example,  see  that  what  is  given  to  others  is  denied  to 
you:  what  others  say  is  heard  with  attention;  what  you 
say  is  received  with  derision:  others  are  praised,  are 
elected  to  offices  of  honor,  to  transact  business  of  im 
portance;  but  you  are  despised:  what  you  do  is  censured 
and  ridiculed.  You  will  be  truly  humble,  says  St.  Doro- 
theus,3  if  you  accept  in  peace  all  these  humiliations,  and 
recommend  to  God,  as  your  best  benefactors,  all  that 
treat  you  in  this  manner;  for  they  thus  cure  your  pride, 
which  is  a  most  malignant  and  deadly  malady. 

In  thy  humiliation  keep  patience,1'  Behold,  then,  what 
we  must  do;  we  must  give  way  neither  to  anger  nor  to 
complaints,  but  accept  insults  as  due  to  our  sins.  He 

1  "  Non    intelligences,  quanto   majus   sit   lucrum  in   tolerantia  in- 
juriarum." 

2  "Primus  profectus,  nolle  dominari;  secundus,  velle  subjici;  ter- 
tius,  injurias  sequanimiter  pati." — De  Divers,  s.  60. 

3  Doctr.  20. 

4  "  In  humilitate  tua  patientiara  habe." — Ecclus.  ii.  4. 


INSTR.  vn.i  Meekness. 


331 


who  has  offended  God  merits  very  different  insults:  he 
deserves  to  be  cast  under  the  feet  of  the  devils.  St. 
Francis  Borgia  was  once  obliged  on  a  journey  to  sleep 
in  the  same  bed  with  his  companion,  Father  Busta- 
mente,  who  labored  under  asthma,  and  spent  the  whole 
night  coughing  and  casting  out  phlegm.  He  thought 
that  he  was  spitting  towards  the  wall;  but  frequently 
the  phlegm  fell  on  the  face  of  St.  Francis.  In  the 
morning  the  Father  was  greatly  grieved  at  what  he  had 
done;  but  the  saint  placidly  answered:  "  Father,  be  not 
troubled;  for  certainly  in  this  room  there  is  no  place  so 
fit  for  the  reception  of  spittle  as  my  face."  The  proud, 
because  they  esteem  themselves  worthy  of  all  honor, 
convert  the  humiliations  that  they  receive  into  an  occa 
sion  of  pride;  but  the  humble,  because  they  think  them 
selves  deserving  of  all  ignominies,  convert  the  insults 
offered  to  them  into  a  source  of  humility.  "  He  is  hum 
ble,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  who  changes  humiliations  into 
humility."'  Rodriguez  says  that  when  reproved  the 
proud  imitate  the  hedgehog,  which  when  touched  be 
comes  all  thorns;  that  is,  they  get  into  a  fury,  and  in 
stantly  break  out  into  complaints,  reproaches,  and  de 
traction.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  humble  when 
blamed  for  their  conduct  humble  themselves  still  more, 
confess  that  they  are  full  of  defects,  thank  the  person 
who  corrects  them,  arid  preserve  tranquillity  of  soul. 
He  who  is  disturbed  by  correction  shows  that  in  him 
pride  still  reigns.  Hence  they  who  are  disquieted  by 
correction  or  admonitions  must  humble  themselves 
more  before  God,  and  entreat  him  to  deliver  them  from 
the  hands  of  pride,  which  still  lives  in  their  hearts. 

My  spikenard  sent  forth  the  odor  thereof?'     The  spike 
nard  is   a   small  odoriferous  plant  that  sends  forth  its 

1  "  Est  humilis,  qui  humiliationem  convertit    in  humilitatcm." — In 
Cant,  s.  34. 

2  "  Nardus  mea  dedit  odorera  suum." — CanL  i.  II. 


332  Material  for  Instructions.         [PART  n. 

odors  when  bruised  and  twisted.  Oh,  what  odors  of 
sweetness  does  an  humble  soul  give  to  God  when  she 
peacefully  suffers  insults,  and  delights  in  seeing  herself 
despised  and  maltreated!  Being  asked  what  must  be 
done  in  order  to  acquire  true  humility,  Zachary,  a  monk, 
took  his  cowl,  and  trampling  on  it  said:  "He  who  de 
lights  in  seeing  himself  treated  in  this  manner  is  truly 
humble."  Father  Alvarez  used  to  say  that  the  time  of 
humiliation  is  the  time  of  getting  rid  of  our  miseries, 
and  of  acquiring  great  treasures  of  merit.  God  is  as 
liberal  of  his  gifts  to  the  humble  as  he  is  sparing  to  the 
proud:  God  resisteth  the  proud,  and  giveth  grace  to  the  hum 
ble*  St.  Augustine  says  that  a  guilty  conscience  is  not 
healed  by  praise,  nor  a  good  conscience  wounded  by  in 
sults.2  It  was  this  that  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  meant  when 
he  said:  "  We  are  what  we  are  before  God."  It  is,  then, 
of  little  importance  to  us  whether  we  are  praised  or 
censured  by  men :  it  is  enough  for  us  to  merit  praise  from 
God.  And  God  will  certainly  bestow  great  praise  on 
all  that  cheerfully  bear  insults  from  others  for  his  sake. 
The  meek  are  dear  to  God  and  to  men.  St.  John 
Chrysostom  says  that  there  is  nothing  that  gives  greater 
edification  to  others,  and  draws  souls  more  powerfully 
to  God,  than  the  meekness  of  the  man  who,  when  treated 
with  derision,  contempt,  and  insult,  seeks  not  revenge, 
but  bears  all  with  a  peaceful  and  placid  countenance.3 
St.  Ambrose  writes  that  Moses  was  more  beloved  by  the 
Hebrews  on  account  of  the  meekness  with  which  he  re 
ceived  insults,  than  on  account  of  the  miracles  which  he 
wrought.4  The  meek  are  useful  to  themselves  and  to 

1  "  Deus  superbis  resistit;  humilibus  autem  dat  gratiam." — James, 
iv.  6. 

2  "  Nee  malam  conscientiam  sanat  laudantis  praeconium,  nee  bonam 
vulnerat  conviciantis  opprobrium." — Contra  Petil.  1.  3,  c.  7. 

3  "  Nihil  ita  conciliat  domino  familiares,  ut  quod  ilium  vident  man- 
suetudine  jucundum." — S.  de  Mansuet. 

4  "  Ut  plus  eum  pro   mansuetudine   diligerent,  quam  pro  factis  ad- 
mirarentur." — Offic.  1.  2,  c.  7. 


INSTR.  vii.]  Meekness.  333 

others,  says  St.  John  Chrysostom.1  Father  Maffei  re 
lates  that  while  a  Jesuit  was  preaching  in  Japan,  an  in 
solent  bystander  spit  in  his  face;  the  Father  wiped  away 
the  spittle,  and  continued  the  sermon  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  At  the  sight  of  such  meekness  one  of  the 
audience  was  converted,  and  said  that  a  religion  that 
teaches  such  humility  must  be  true  and  divine.  Thus> 
also,  by  the  meekness  and  tranquillity  with  which  he 
bore  all  the  insults  heaped  upon  him  by  the  heretical 
ministers  St.  Francis  de  Sales  converted  an  immense 
number  of  heretics.  Meekness  is  the  touchstone  of 
sanctity.  St.  John  Chrysostom  says*  that  the  surest 
means  of  knowing  whether  a  soul  has  virtue  is  to  observe 
if  she  practises  meekness  under  contradictions.  In  the 
history  of  Japan,  Crasset  relates  that  a  certain  Augus- 
tinian  missionary  who,  in  the  time  of  the  persecution, 
had  changed  his  dress,  received  a  buffet  without  resent 
ing  it.  Seeing  his  meekness,  the  idolaters  instantly 
supposed  him  to  be  a  Christian,  and  laid  hold  of  him; 
for  said  they,  no  one  but  a  Christian  could  practise  such 
virtue. 

Ah  !  at  the  sight  of  Jesus  loaded  with  contempt  it  is 
easy  to  bear  all  insults.  Standing  one  day  before  a 
crucifix,  Blessed  Mary  of  the  Incarnation  said  to  her 
religious:  "O  sisters  !  can  it  be  possible  that  we  will  not 
bear  contempt  when  we  see  a  God  so  despised  ?"  On 
his  journey  to  Rome  to  receive  the  crown  of  martyrdom, 
St.  Ignatius,  Martyr,  finding  himself  so  maltreated  by 
the  soldiers,  said:  "I  now  begin  to  be  the  servant  of 
Christ."  :  What  can  be  expected  from  a  Christian  if  he 
is  not  able  to  bear  contempt  for  Jesus  Christ?  It  is  in 
deed  very  painful  to  our  pride  to  be  despised  and  in 
sulted,  without  seeking  revenge,  or  even  making  a  reply. 

1  "  Mansuetus,  utilis  sibi  et  aliis." — In  Act.  horn.  6. 

2  In  Gen.  horn.  34. 

3  "  Nunc  incipio  esse  Christ!  discipulus." — Ep.  ad  Rom. 


334  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

But  in  doing  violence  to  ourselves  consists  our  progress 
in  perfection,  says  St.  Jerome.1  A  holy  nun,  whenever 
she  received  an  affront,  was  accustomed  to  go  to  the 
holy  sacrament,  and  to  say:  "  Lord,  I  am  a  poor  miser 
able  creature:  I  have  nothing  to  present  to  you,  but  I 
offer  this  little  gift — this  insult  that  I  have  received." 
Oh,  how  lovingly  does  Jesus  Christ  embrace  the  soul 
that  is  despised  !  Oh,  how  soon  does  he  console  her 
and  enrich  her  with  his  graces  ! 

Ah  !  the  soul  that  truly  loves  Jesus  Christ  not  only 
bears  insults  in  peace,  but  embraces  them  with  pleasure 
and  joy.  The  holy  Apostles  went  from  the  presence  of  the 
council  rejoicing  that  they  were  accotinted  worthy  to  suffer  re 
proach  for  the  name  of  Jesus?  St.  Joseph  Calasanctius 
used  to  say  that  in  many  are  verified  the  last  words  of 
this  passage — they  are  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  re 
proach  for  the  name  of  Jesus,  but  not  the  first — they  went 
rejoicing.  But  he  who  wishes  to  be  a  saint  must  at  least 
aspire  to  this  degree  of  perfection.  "  He  is  not  humble 
that  does  not  wish  to  be  despised,"  3  says  the  same  saint. 
The  Venerable  Louis  da  Ponte  did  not  at  first  understand 
how  a  man  could  rejoice  in  contempt;  but  when  he  after 
wards  attained  higher  perfection  he  easily  comprehended 
it,  and  experienced  joy  under  insults.  It  was  this  that 
St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  coming~from  heaven,  taught  St. 
Mary  Magdalene  de  Pazzi:  he  said  to  her  that  true 
humility  consists  in  attaining  such  a  state  of  mind  as 
to  feel  a  continual  joy  in  all  things  which  can  lead  a 
person  to  self-contempt. 

Worldlings  do  not  rejoice  as  much  in  the  honors  that 
they  receive,  as  the  saints  do  in  seeing  themselves  de- 

1  "  Tantum  proficies,  quantum  tibi  ipsi  vim  intuleris." — De  Imit.  1. 
I,  c.  25. 

*  "  Ibant  gaudentes  a  conspectu  concilii,  quoniam  digni  habiti  sunt 
pro  nomine  Jesu  contumeliam  pati." — Acts,  v.  41. 

3  "  Non  est  humilis,  qui  non  optat  sperni." 


INSTR.  vn.i  Meekness.  335 

spised.  Brother  Juniper,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis, 
when  treated  with  insult  held  out  his  habit  as  if  to 
receive  precious  gems.  When  St.  John  Francis  Regis 
saw  himself  made  an  object  of  laughter  he  not  only 
rejoiced  at  the  humiliation,  but  sought  still  more  to 
excite  derision.  To  St.  John  of  the  Cross  the  Redeemer 
once  appeared  with  a  cross  on  his  shoulders  and  a  crown 
of  thorns  on  his  head,  and  said:  "John,  ask  what  you 
desire  of  me."  1  The  saint  answered:  "  O  Lord  !  to  suffer 
and  to  be  despised  for  Thee."5  As  if  he  said:  Lord, 
since  I  see  you  so  afflicted  and  despised  for  my  sake, 
what  else  can  I  ask  but  sufferings. and  contempt? 

To  conclude:  He  who  wishes  to  belong  entirely  to  God, 
and  to  assimilate  himself  to  Jesus  Christ,  must  love  to 
be  unknown  and  disregarded.  "  Love  to  be  unknown 
and  to  be  regarded  as  nothing,"  3  was  the  great  lesson  of 
St.  Bonaventure,  which  St.  Philip  Neri  constantly  incul 
cated  to  his  spiritual  children.  Jesus  Christ  tells  us  to 
esteem  ourselves  happy,  and  to  exult  with  joy  when  we 
are  hated,  cast  off,  and  censured  by  men  for  his  sake. 
He  tells  us  that  the  more  galling  the  insults  which  we 
accept  with  joy,  the  greater  the  reward  will  he  give  us 
in  heaven.  Blessed  shall  you  be  when  men  shall  hate  you,  and 
when  they  shall  separate  you,  and  shall  reproach  you,  and  cast 
out  your  name  as  evil,  for  the  Son  of  Man's  sake.  Be  glad 
in  that  day  and  rejoice;  for,  behold,  your  reward  is  great  in 
heaven?  And  what  greater  joy  can  a  soul  feel  than  that 
which  arises  from  seeing  herself  despised  for  the  love  of 
Jesus  Christ?  Then,  says  St.  Peter,  she  obtains  the 

1  "Joannes,  pete  quid  vis  a  me." 

2  "  Domine,  pati  et  contemni  pro  te." 

3  "  Ama  nesciri  et  pro  nihilo  reputari." — Alphab.  rel. 

4  "  Beati  eritis,  cum  vos  oderint  homines,  et  cum  separaverint  vos, 
et  exprobraverint,  et  ejecerint  nomen  vestrum  tanquam  malum,  prop- 
ter  Filium  hominis.     Gaudete  in  ilia  die,  et  exsultate;  ecce  enim  mer- 
ces  vestra  multa  est  in  ccelo." — Luke,  vi.  22. 


336  Material  for  Instructions.          LPART  n. 

greatest  honor  that  it  is  possible  for  her  to  receive;  for 
God  then  treats  her  as  he  has  treated  his  own  very  Son. 
If  you  are  reproached  for  the  name  of  CJirist,  you  shall  be 
blessed,  for  that  which  is  of  the  honor,  glory,  and  power  of  God 
.  .  .  resteth  upon  you? 

1  "Si  exprobramini  in  nomine  Christi,  beati  eritis,  quoniam  quod 
est  honoris,  glorize,  et  virtutis  Dei,  et  qui  est  ejus  Spiritus,  super  vos 
requiescit." — I  Pet.  iv.  14. 


INSTR.  vin.]      Mortification  in  General.  337 


INSTRUCTION   VIII. 

MORTIFICATION,    AND    PARTICULARLY    INTERIOR    MORTIFI 
CATION. 

I. 

Necessity  of  Mortification  in  General. 

MAN  was  created  by  God  in  a  state  of  integrity,  so 
that  without  a  struggle  the  senses  obeyed  the  spirit,  and 
the  spirit  obeyed  God:  God  made  man  right.1  Sin  came 
and  deranged  the  beautiful  order  that  God  had  estab 
lished,  and  the  life  of  man  began  to  be  a  state  of  con 
tinual  warfare:  For  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit:  and 
the  spirit  against  the  flesh?'  But  I  see,  says  the  Apostle  in 
a  tone  of  lamentation,  another  law  in  my  members,  fighting 
against  the  law  of  the  mind,  and  captivating  me  in  the  law  of 
sin  that  is  in  my  members.^ 

Hence  for  man  there  are  two  kinds  of  life — the  life  of 
the  angels,  who  seek  to  do  the  will  of  God,  and  the  life 
of  beasts,  who  attend  only  to  the  indulgence  of  the 
senses.  If  a  man  labors  to  do  the  will  of  God  he  be 
comes  an  angel;  if  he  seeks  after  sensual  gratifications 
he  becomes  a  beast.  Hence  what  the  Lord  prescribed 
to  Jeremias,  Lo,  I  have  set  thee  this  day  .  .  .  to  root  up  and 
to  pull  down,  .  .  .  to  build  and  to  plant?  we  ought  to  do  in 

1  "Quod  fecerit  Deus  hominem  rectum." — Eccles.  vii.  30. 

'2  "  Caro  enim  concupiscit  adversus  spiritum,  spiritus  autem  adver- 
sus  camera." — Gal.  v,  17. 

;{  "Video  autem  aliam  legem  in  membris  meis,  repugnantem  legi 
mentis  meae,  et  captivantem  me  in  lege  peccati." --  Rom.  vii.  23. 

4  "  Constitui  te  .   .    .  ut  evellas  et  destruas,  .   .    .  aedifices  et  plantes." 
— Jer.  i.  10. 
22 


338  Material  for  Instructions.          IPART  n 

ourselves:  we  should  plant  virtues,  but  we  should  first 
extirpate  noxious  weeds.  Hence  we  must  always  carry 
in  our  hand  the  mattock  of  mortification,  to  cut  down 
the  evil  desires  that  constantly  spring  up  and  bud  forth 
within  us  from  the  infected  roots  of  concupiscence; 
otherwise  the  soul  shall  become  a  forest  of  vices. 

In  a  word,  it  is  necessary  to  cleanse  the  heart,  if  we 
wish  for  light  to  know  God,  the  sovereign  Good:  jBlessed 
are  the  clean  of  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God.1  Hence  St. 
Augustine  has  said:  "If  you  wish  to  see  God  take  care, 
to  purify  your  heart."2  Isaias  asks:  Whom  shall  He  teach 
knowledge  ?  .  .  .  Them  that  are  weaned  from  the  milk,  that 
are  drawn  away  from  the  breasts?  God  gives  the  science 
of  the  saints,  that  is,  the  science  of  knowing  and  loving 
him,  only  to  them  that  are  weaned  and  drawn  away  from 
the  breasts  of  the  world:  But  tJie  sensual  man perceivetJi  not 
these  things  that  are  of  the  Spirit  of  God."  He  who  like  a 
brute  animal  seeks  after  sensual  pleasures  is  not  capable 
of  even  understanding  the  excellence  of  spiritual  goods. 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  says  that  as  salt  preserves  flesh 
from  corruption,  so  mortification  preserves  the  soul  from 
sin.  In  the  soul  in  which  mortification  reigns  all  virtues 
shall  flourish.  Myrrh  and  stacte  and  cassia  perfume  thy  gar 
ments'"  On  this  passage  Guerric  the  abbot  writes:  "  When 
myrrh  begins  to  exhale  a  perfume,  soon  other  aromatical 
perfumes  will  be  exhaled. "f  This  is  precisely  what  the 

1  "Beat!  mundo  corde,  quoniam  ipsi  Deum  videbunt." — Matth.  v.  8. 

2  "  Deum  videre  vis?  prius  cogita  de  corde  mundando."— Serm.  177, 
E.  B.  app. 

3  "  Quern  docebit  (Deus)  scientiam  ?     Ablactatos  a  lacte,  avulsos  ab 
uberibus." — ha.  xxviii.  9. 

4  "  Animalis  autem  homo  non  percipit  ea  quae  sunt  Spiritus  Dei."- 
i  Cor.  ii.  14. 

5  "  Myrrha,  et  gutta.  et  casia,  a  vestimentis  tuis." — Ps.  xliv.  9. 

6  "  Si  myrrha  prima  spirare  coeperit  per  mortificationem  voluptatum, 
consequentur  et  alise  species  aromaticae."—  De  Annunt.  s.  i. 


INSTR.  viii.]      Mortification  in  General.  339 

sacred  Spouse  has  said:  I  have  gathered  my  myrrh  with  my 
aromatical  spices. ' 

All  our  sanctity  and  salvation  consist  in  following  the 
examples  of  Jesus  Christ:  For  whom  He  foreknew,  He  also 
predestinated  to  be  made  conformable  to  the  image  of  His  Son? 
But  we  shall  not  be  able  to  imitate  Jesus  Christ  unless 
we  deny  ourselves,  and  embrace  by  mortification  the 
cross  that  he  gives  us  to  carry:  If  any  man  will  come  after 
Me,  let  him  deny  Jiimself  and  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  Me? 
The  life  of  our  Redeemer  was  all  full  of  sufferings,  of  sor 
rows,  and  ignominies.  Hence  Isaias  said  of  him,  that  he 
was  despised  and  the  most  abject  of  men:  a  man  of  sorrows.* 
As  a  mother  takes  nauseous  medicine  in  order  to  cure 
the  infant  to  which  she  gives  suck,  so  our  Redeemer, 
says  St.  Catharine  of  Sienna,  wished  to  assume  so  many 
pains  in  order  to  heal  the  infirmities  of  us  poor  sinners. 
But  since  Jesus  Christ  has  endured  so  much  for  the  love 
of  us,  it  is  but  just  that  we  suffer  for  his  sake.  We  must, 
then,  endeavor  to  follow  the  advice  of  St.  Paul:  Always 
bearing  about  in  your  body  the  mortification  of  Jesus,  that  the 
life  also  of  Jesus  may  be  made  manifest  in  our  bodies?  "  This 
we  shall  do,"  says  St.  Anselm  in  his  comment  on  the 
preceding  text,  when,  "in  imitation  of  him,  we  assidu 
ously  practise  mortification. "f  To  this  we  priests,  who 
celebrate  the  mysteries  of  the  Passion  of  our  Lord,  are 
bound  in  a  special  manner.  "  Because,"  says  Hugh  of 
St.  Victor,  "while  celebrating  the  divine  mysteries  we 

"  Messui  myrrham  meam  cum  aromatibus  meis." — Cant.  v.  i. 

2  "  Quos  praescivit,  et  prsedestinavit  conformes  fieri  imaginis  Filii 
sui." — Rom.  viii.  29. 

3  "  Si  quis  vult  post  me  venire,  abneget  semetipsum,  et  tollat  crucem 
suam,  et  sequatur  me." — Matt.  xvi.  24. 

"  Despectum  et  novissimum  virorum,  virum  dolorum." — Isa.  liii.  3. 

5  "Semper  mortificationem  Jesu  in  corpore  nostro  circumferentes, 
ut  et  vita  Jesu  manifestetur  in  corporibus  nostris." — 2  Cor.  iv.  10. 

6  "  Ad  ejus  imitationem,  assidue  carnem  mortificemus." 


340  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

celebrate  the  Passion  of  our  Lord:  we  should  therefore 
be  careful  to  reproduce  it  in  our  lives."  ' 

The  principal  means  of  acquiring  sanctity  are  prayer 
and  mortification,  represented  in  the  sacred  Scripture  by 
incense  and  myrrh.  Who  is  this  that  goeth  up  by  the  desert, 
as  a  pillar  of  smoke  of  uromatical  spices,  of  myrrh  and  frank 
incense?  The  Holy  Ghost  adds:  and  of  all  the  powders  of 
the  perfumer?  to  show  that  prayer  and  mortification  are 
followed  by  all  virtues. — Prayer,  then,  and  mortification, 
are  necessary  to  render  a  soul  holy;  but  mortification 
must  precede  prayer:  /  will  go  to  the  mountain  of  myrrh 
and  to  the  hill  of  frankincense?  Thus  our  Lord  invites  us 
to  follow  him,  first  to  the  mountain  of  myrrh,  and  then 
to  the  hill  of  frankincense.  St.  Francis  Borgia  used  to 
say,  that  prayer  introduces  divine  love  into  the  heart; 
but  it  is  mortification  that  prepares  a  place  for  charity, 
by  removing  from  the  soul  the  world,  which  should 
otherwise  prevent  the  entrance  of  love.  Should  a  per 
son  go  to  a  fountain  for  water  with  a  vessel  full  of  earth, 
he  shall  take  back  nothing  but  mire.  He  must  first  cast 
away  the  earth,  and  then  fill  the  vessel  with  water.  Father 
Baltassar  Alvarez  used  to  say  that  prayer  without  mor 
tification  is  either  an  illusion,  or  will  be  only  of  short 
duration.  And  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  has  said  that  a 
mortified  soul  unites  herself  more  intimately  to  God  in 
a  quarter  of  an  hour's  prayer,  than  an  immortified  soul 
does  in  several  hours.  Hence,  having  once  heard  a  per 
son  praised  for  his  great  spirit  of  prayer,  the  saint  said: 
"It  is  a  sign  that  he  practises  great  mortification." 

1  "Quia  passionis  dominicae  mysteria  celebramus,  debemus  imitari 
quod  agimus." 

'2  "Quae  est  ista  quae  ascendit  per  desertum,  sicut  virgula  fumi  ex 
aromatibus  myrrhae  et  thuris?" — Cant.  Hi.  6. 

3  ' '  Et  universi  pulveris  pigmentarii." 

4  "  Vadam  ad  montem  myrrhae  et  ad  collem  thuris." — Cant.  iv.  6. 


INSTR.  viii.]       Interior  Mortification.  341 

n. 

Necessity  of  Interior  Mortification. 

We  have  a  soul  and  a  body.  External  mortification  is 
necessary  in  order  to  mortify  the  disorderly  appetites  of 
the  body;  and  interior  mortification  is  necessary  in  order 
to  mortify  the  irregular  affections  of  the  soul.  All  this 
is  comprised  in  the  following  words  of  the  Saviour:  If 
any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up 
his  cross,  and  follow  Me.1  External  mortification  is  in 
cluded  in  the  words  let  him  take  up  his  cross;  this  species 
of  mortification  is  necessary,  as  we  shall  see  hereafter:  but 
interior  mortification  is  still  more  important  and  neces 
sary — let  him  deny  himself.  This  consists  in  subjecting  to 
reason  the  disorderly  passions  of  the  soul;  such  as  am 
bition,  inordinate  anger,  self-esteem,  attachment  to  self- 
interest,  to  our  own  opinion,  or  to  self-will.  "  There  are 
two  kinds  of  crosses,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "one  corporal, 
the  other  spiritual.  The  latter  is  more  sublime,  and  con 
sists  in  curbing  the  inordinate  inclinations  of  the  heart." a 
External  mortification,  then,  represses  the  appetites  of 
the  body  in  order  to  bring  it  under  subjection  to  the 
spirit;  the  interior  mortification  restrains  the  affections 
of  the  heart  in  order  to  subject  them  to  reason  and  God; 
hence  it  has  been  called  by  the  Apostle:  The  circumcision 
is  that  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit?  In  themselves  the  passions 
are  indifferent,  and  not  sinful;  and  when  well  regulated 
by  reason  they  are  useful,  because  they  contribute  to 
the  preservation  of  our  existence.  But  when  opposed 
to  reason,  they  are  the  ruin  of  the  soul.  Miserable  the 

1  "  Si  quis  vult  post  me  venire,  abneget  semetipsum,  et  tollat  crucem 
suam,  et  sequatur  me." — Matt.  xvi.  24. 

2  "  Duo  sunt  crucis  genera,  unum  corporale,  aliud  spirituale.     Al- 
terum  est  sublimius,  scilicet,  regere   motus   animi." — Serin.   196,  E. 
B.  app. 

3  "  Circumcisio  cordis  in  spiritu." — Rom.  ii.  29. 


342  Material  for  Instructions.          IPART  n. 

soul  that  God  leaves  in  the  hands  of  her  own  desires  ! 
This  is  the  greatest  chastisement  which  he  can  inflict 
upon  her.  I  let  tliein  go  according  to  the  desires  of  their  own 
hearts:  they  shall  walk  in  their  own  inventiotis.1  Hence  we 
must  always  pray  to  the  Lord  in  the  words  of  Solomon: 
Give  me  not  over  to  a  shameful  and  foolish  mind?  My  God, 
do  not  abandon  me  into  the  hands  of  my  passions. 

Our  principal  care,  then,  should  be  to  conquer  ourselves. 
Conquer  thyself?  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  appeared  not  to 
consfder  any  lesson  more  important  than  that  which  is 
contained  in  the  words  Conquer  thyself:  his  familiar  dis 
courses  were  ordinarily  on  conquering  self-love  and  sub 
duing  self-will;  and  he  would  say,  that  out  of  a  hundred 
persons  who  practise  prayer,  more  than  ninety  are  at 
tached  to  their  own  opinion.  He  set  a  greater  value  on 
a  single  act  of  mortification  of  self-will  than  on  several 
hours  spent  in  prayer,  in  the  midst  of  spiritual  consola 
tions.  To  a  Brother  who  separated  from  the  company 
of  the  others  in  order  to  get  rid  of  a  certain  defect  the 
saint  said,  that  he  would  have  gained  more  by  a  few  acts 
of  mortification  in  the  society  of  his  companions  than 
he  would  by  remaining  silent  in  a  cave  for  an  entire 
year.  •*  It  is  no  small  matter,"  writes  Thomas  a  Kempis, 
"even  in  things  the  most  trifling,  to  relinquish  self."4 
On  the  other  hand,  St.  Peter  Damian  asserts  that  unless 
he  leaves  himself,  it  will  profit  a  man  nothing  to  have 
forsaken  all  things.5  Hence,  to  a  person  who  wished  to 
leave  all  things  in  order  to  give  himself  to  God,  St. 
Bernard  said:  "Remember  that  if  you  have  resolved  to 

1  "  Dimisi  eos  secundum  desideria  cordis  eorum;  ibunt  in  adinven- 
tionibus  suis." — Ps.  Ixxx.  13. 

2  "  Animse  irreverent!  et  infrunitae  ne  tradas  me." — Ecclus.  xxiii.  6. 

3  "  Vince  teipsum." 

4  "  Non  est  minimum,  in  minimis  seipsum  relinquere." — De  Imit, 

1.  3-  c.  39- 

5  "  Nihil  prodest,  sine  seipso  cretera  reliquisse." — Ilom.  9, 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  343 

leave  everything,  you  must  count  yourself  among  those 
things  that  you  must  leave."  '  Unless,  adds  the  saint, 
you  deny  yourself,  you  shall  never  be  able  to  be  a  fol 
lower  of  Jesus  Christ.2  Our  Redeemer  hath  rejoiced  as  a 
giant  to  run  the  way.3  But,  says  the  holy  Doctor,  he  who 
carries  the  weight  of  his  passions  and  of  earthly  affec 
tions,  and  wishes  to  follow  the  Saviour,  shall  not  be  able 
to  keep  within  view  of  Jesus  running  the  way. 

It  is  necessary,  above  all,  to  attend  to  the  subjugation 
of  the  predominant  passion.  Some  are  careful  to  mortify 
themselves  in  many  things,  but  make  little  effort  to  con 
quer  the  passion  to  which  they  are  most  inclined;  such 
persons  can  never  advance  in  the  way  of  God.  He  who 
allows  any  irregular  passion  to  rule  over  him,  is  in  great 
danger  of  being  lost.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who 
subdues  the  predominant  passion  will  easily  conquer  all 
his  other  passions.  When  the  strongest  enemy  is  van 
quished,  it  is  easy  to  defeat  less  powerful  foes.  The  value 
and  merit  of  the  victory  is  greatest  when  the  greatest 
valor  is  required:  for  example,  some  are  not  avaricious 
of  money,  but  are  full  of  self-esteem;  others  are  not 
ambitious  of  honors,  but  feel  a  great  thirst  for  riches. 
Unless  the  former  are  careful  to  practise  mortification, 
when  treated  with  contempt,  their  disregard  for  riches 
will  profit  them  but  little.  Unless  the  latter  labor  to 
mortify  the  desire  of  wealth,  their  contempt  for  honors 
will  be  but  of  little  advantage  to  them.  In  a  word,  a 
person  gains  most  merit  and  makes  the  greatest  prog 
ress  when  he  uses  the  greatest  violence  to  conquer 
himself.  "So  much  will  you  advance  in  virtue,"  says 

"  Qui    relinquere    disponis    omnia,  te    quoque    inter   relinquenda 
numerare  memento." — Declam.  n.  3. 

2  "Sane,  nisi  abnegaverit  semetipsum,  sequi  eum  (Christum)  non 
potest." — Ib.  n.  48. 

3  "  Exsultavit  ut  gigas  ad  currendam  viam"  (Ps,  xviii,  6);  "  nee  sequi 
poteras  oneratus." — Declam.  n.  2. 


344  Material  J or  Instructions.  [PARTII. 

St.  Jerome,  "  as  you  do  violence  to  yourself."  J  St.  Ig 
natius  was  naturally  prone  to  anger,  but  by  virtue  he 
became  so  meek  that  he  was  considered  to  be  a  man  of 
a  mild  disposition.  St.  Francis  de  Sales  was  also  strong 
ly  inclined  to  anger;  but  by  the  violence  that  he  offered 
to  himself  he  became,  as  we  read  in  his  life,  an  example 
of  patience  and  sweetness  in  the  many  contradictions 
and  insults  that  he  received. 

External  mortification,  without  interior  self-denial', 
profits  the  soul  but  little.  Of  what  use,  says  St.  Jerome, 
is  it  to  reduce  the  body  by  fasting,  and  afterwards  to 
swell  with  pride?  or  to  abstain  from  wine,  and  to  be  in 
ebriated  with  hatred  ?2  The  Apostle  says  that  we  must 
put  off  the  old  man,  that  is,  attachment  to  self-love,  and 
clothe  ourselves  with  the  new  man,  that  is,  Jesus  Christ, 
who  never  pleased  himself.  For,  says  St.  Paul,  Christ 
did  not  please  Himself?  Hence  St.  Bernard  pitied  certain 
monks  who  wore  an  humble  dress,  but  interiorly  cher 
ished  their  passions:  "This  humble  habit  is  not  a  sign 
of  interior  holiness,  but  a  cover  thrown  over  inveterate 
corruption.  They  have  not  stripped  themselves  of  the 
old  man,  but  have  only  hidden  him."4  They,  says  the 
saint,  do  not  put  off  their  vices:  they  only  cover  them 
with  the  exterior  marks  of  penance.  Hence,  fasting, 
watching,  hair-shirts,  and  disciplines  are  of  little  or  no 
use  to  him  who  is  attached  to  himself,  and  to  what  be 
longs  to  him. 

1  "Tantum  proficies,  quantum  tibi  ipsi  vim  intuleris." — De  Imit.  1. 
J,  c.  25. 

2  "Quid  prodest  tenuari  abstinentia,  si  animus  intumescit  superbia? 
Quid  vinum  non  bibere,  et  odio  inebriari  ?" — Ef.  ad  Celant. 

3  "  Etenim  Christus  non  sibi  complacuit." — Rom.  xv.  3. 

4  "  Humilis  habitus  non  sanctse  novitatis  est  meritum,  sed  priscse 
vetustatis    operculum.     Veterem   hominem   non   exuerunt,   sed   novo 
palliant." — In  Cant,  s,  16. 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  345 

in. 
The  Practice  of  Interior  Mortification. 

They,  says  St.  John  Climacus,1  who  wish  to  belong 
entirely  to  God  must  divest  themselves  of  attachment 
to  four  things  in  particular:  to  property,  to  honors,  to 
relatives,  and  above  all,  to  self-will. 

i.  PROPERTY. 

First,  it  is  necessary  to  remove  attachment  to  property 
or  to  riches.  St.  Bernard  says  that  riches  are  a  burden 
to  him  who  possesses  them,  that  they  contaminate  the 
man  who  loves  them,  and  torture  him  who  loses  them.3 
The  priest  ought  to  remember,  that  when  he  entered  the 
sanctuary  he  declared,  in  the  following  words,  that  he 
wished  for  no  other  possessions  than  God:  The  Lord  is  the 
portion  of  my  inheritance;  .  .  .  it  is  Thou  that  wilt  restore  my 
inheritance  to  me.3  •  The  ecclesiastic,  then,  says  St.  Peter 
Damian,  who  after  having  chosen  God  for  his  portion 
attends  to  the  acquisition  of  riches,  offers  a  great  insult 
to  his  Creator.4  Yes,  for  by  his  conduct  he  shows  that 
he  considers  the  Lord  not  sufficient  to  content  his  heart. 
St.  Bernard  says,  and  says  truly,  that  among  the  covet 
ous  there  is  none  more  avaricious  than  the  ecclesiastic 
who  is  attached  to  money.5  How  many  priests  are  there 
who,  but  for  the  miserable  honorarium  that  they  receive, 
would  seldom  say  Mass  !  Would  to  God  that  they  never 

1  Seal.  par.  gr.  2. 

2  "  Possessa  onerant,  amata  inquinant,  atnissa  cruciant." — Ep.  103. 

3  "  Dominus  pars  hereditatis  meae  et  calicis  mei;  tu  es  qui  restitues 
hereditatem.  meam  mihi." — Ps.  xv.  5. 

4  "  Si  igitur  Deus  portio  ejus  est,  non  levem  Creatori  suo  contume- 
liam   videtur    inferre,   qui,   super   hoc   singulare    talentum,   terrenam 
sestuat  pecuniam  cumulate." — Opusc.  27.  procem. 

5  "Quis,  obsecro,  avidius  clericis  quaerit  temporalia?" — S.  ad  Past. 
in  syn. 


346  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  H. 

offered  the  holy  sacrifice  !  They,  as  St.  Augustine  says, 
belong  to  that  class  of  men  who  do  not  seek  for  money 
in  order  to  serve  God;  but  serve  God  in  order  to  accu 
mulate  riches.1  What  a  disgrace,  exclaims  St.  Jerome, 
to  see  a  priest  intent  on  the  acquisition  of  wealth  !2 

But  let  us  pass  by  the  disgrace,  and  examine  the  great 
danger  of  perdition,  to  which  a  priest  intent  on  heaping 
up  riches  exposes  his  soul.  "  Those  priests  are  greatly 
in  peril,"  says  St.  Hilary,  "  who  are  anxious  to  amass 
riches  and  increase  their  fortune."5  This  the  Apostle 
has  taught,  saying  that  such  persons  shall  not  only  be 
molested  by  many  cares  which  impede  their  spiriual 
progress,  but  shall  also  fall  into  temptations  and  desires 
which  will  lead  them  to  ruin.  They  that  will  become  rich, 
fall  into  temptations,  .  .  .  and  into  many  unprofitable  and 
hurtful  desires,  which  draw  men  into  destruction  and  perdi 
tion?  And  into  what  excesses,  thefts,  injustice,  simony, 
and  sacrileges  has  the  desire  of  money  precipitated  cer 
tain  priests  !  St.  Ambrose  says:  "  He  who  amasses  gold 
loses  the  grace  of  God."5  St.  Paul  assimilates  avarice 
to  idolatry:  A  covetous  person  (which  is  a  serving  of  idols) ." 
And  justly,  for  the  covetous  man  makes  money  his  God, 
that  is,  his  last  end. 

"  Extirpate  the  thirst  for  gold,"  says  St.  John  Chrysos- 
tom,  "and  you  will  extirpate  all  crimes."'  If,  then,  we 
wish  to  possess  God,  let  us  remove  all  attachment  to  the 

1  "  Non  nummum   propter  Deum   impendunt,  sed   Deum    propter 
nummum  colunt." — De  Civ.  D.  \.  n,  c.  25. 

2  "  Ignominia  Sacerdotis  est  studere  divitiis." — Ep.  ad  Nepot. 

3  "  Ingenti  periculo  sunt  Sacerdotes  qui  curis  pecuniae,  et  familiarium 
rerum  incrementis,  occupantur." — In  Ps.  138. 

4  "Qui  volunt  divites  fieri,  incidunt  in  tentationem,  et  in  laqueum 
diaboli,  et  desideria  multa  inutilia  et  nociva,  quse  mergunt  homines  in 
interitum  et  perditionem."— i   Tim.  vi.  9. 

6  "  Qui  aurum  redigit,  gratiam  prodigit." — Serin.  59. 

6  "Avarus,  quod  est  idolorum  servitus." — Ephes.  v.  5. 

7  "  Tolle  pecuniarum  studium,  et  omnia  mala  sublata  sum  "—.'/.'  : 
Tim.  horn.  17. 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  347 

goods  of  this  world.  St.  Philip  Neri  used  to  say  that 
he  who  seeks  after  riches  shall  never  become  a  saint. 
The  riches  of  us  who  are  priests  should  consist  not  in 
possessions,  but  in  virtues;  these  will  make  us  great  in 
heaven,  and  give  us  strength  on  earth  against  the  ene 
mies  of  our  salvation.  This  is  the  language  of  St.  Pros 
per:  "  Our  riches  are  chastity,  piety,  humility,  meekness: 
they  only  will  make  us  great  in  heaven,  and  at  the  same 
time  strong  upon  earth  against  the  enemies  of  our  sal 
vation."  '  Let  us,  says  the  Apostle,  be  content  with 
moderate  food  for  the  support  of  life,  and  simple  raiment 
to  cover  the  body:  let  us  labor  to  become  saints;  this 
alone  is  important  to  us:  But  having  food,  and  ivherewitli 
to  be  covered,  with  these  we  are  content?  Of  what  use  are 
earthly  goods,  which  we  must  one  day  quit,  and  which 
never  content  the  heart?  Let  us  seek  to  acquire  goods 
which  shall  accompany  us  to  eternity,  and  make  us 
happy  forever  in  heaven:  Lay  not  up  to  yourselves  treasures 
on  eartJi,  where  the  rust  and  the  moth  consume.  .  .  .  But  lay 
up  treasures  in  heaven?  Hence,  in  the  Council  of  Milan 
the  following  admonition  was  given  to  priests:  "  Lay  up 
treasures  not  on  earth,  but  good  works  and  souls  for 
heaven.'  '  The  treasures  of  a  priest  should  consist  in 
good  works,  and  in  gaining  souls  to  God. 

Hence,  in  conformity  with  the  words  of  the  Apostle: 
No  man  being  a  soldier  to  God  entangleth  himself  with  secular 
business,  that  he  may  please  Him  to  Whom  he  hath  engaged 

1  "  Divitios    nostrae   sunt  pudicitia,   pietas,  humilitas,   mansuetudo; 
illse  nobis  ambiendae  sunt,  quae  nos  ornare  possint,  pariter  et  munire." 
— De  Vita  cont.  1.  2,  c.  13. 

2  "  Habentes    autem    alimenta,  et    quibus    tegamur,   his    content! 
simus." — i  Tim.  vi.  8. 

3  "  Nolite  thesaurizare  vobis  thesauros  in  terra,  ubi  aerugo  et  tinea 
demolitur.   .   .   .  Thesaurizate    autem    vobis    thesauros    in    coelo."- 
Matth.  vi.  19. 

4  "Thesaurizate,  non  thesauros  in  terra,  sed   bonorum  operum  et  ' 
animarum  in  coelis." 


348  Material  for  Instructions.          (PART  n. 

• 

himself*  The  holy  Church  prohibits,  with  so  much  rigor, 
and  under  pain  of  censure,  ecclesiastics  to  engage  in 
traffic.  The  priest  is  consecrated  to  God;  he  therefore 
should  attend  to  no  other  business  than  the  advance 
ment  of  God's  glory.  The  Lord  does  not  accept  empty 
victims  from  which  the  marrow  has  been  extracted.  / 
will  offer  up  to  Thee,  said  David,  holocausts  full  of  marrow? 
The  sacrifices,  the  Masses,  Offices,  and  works  that  a 
priest  dissipated  by  the  cares  of  traffic  offers  to  God 
are,  says  St.  Peter  Damian,  empty;  for  he  has  taken 
away  the  marrow,  that  is,  attention  and  devotion,  and 
presents  only  the  skin  or  external  appearance.3  What  a 
misery  to  see  a  priest,  who  could  save  souls  and  do 
great  things  for  the  glory  of  God,  employed  in  buying 
and  selling,  and  engaged  in  traffic  of  cattle  and  corn. 
"  You  are  consecrated,"  says  Peter  de  Blois,  "  to  great 
things  do  not  occupy  yourself  with  what  is  trivial."1 
What  but  a  spider's  web,  says  St.  Bernard,  is  earthly 
traffic  ? 5  As  the  spider  eviscerates  itself,  making  its  web 
for  the  purpose  of  catching  a  fly,  so,  O  God  !  certain 
priests  spend  themselves,  lose  their  time,  and  the  fruit 
of  their  spiritual  works,  in  order  to  gain  a  little  dust. 
They  submit  to  labors,  to  anxiety  and  disquietude,  for 
emptiness,  when  they  could  possess  God,  who  is  the 
Lord  of  all  things.  "Why  do  we  trouble  ourselves," 
exclaims  St.  Bonaventure,  "  about  nothing,  while  we  may 
possess  the  Creator  of  all  things  ?"  6 

1  "Nemo,  militans  Deo,  implicat  se  negotiis  saecularibus,  ut  ei  pla- 
ceat,  cui  se  probavit." — 2  Tim.  ii.  4. 

2  "  Holocausta  medullata  offeram  tibi." — Ps.  Ixv.  15. 

a  "  Quisquis  se  per  negotiorum  saeeularium  exercitia  delectabiliter 
fundit,  holocaust!  sui  medullas  cum  visceribus  subtrahit,  et  solam 
victimae  pellem  Deo  adolere  contendit." — Opusc.  12,  c.  22. 

4  "  Magnis  addictus  es,  noli  minimis  occupari." — De  Inst.  Episc. 

5  "  Fructus  horum  quid,  nisi  araneorum  telae  ?" — De  Cons.  \.  i.  c.  2. 

6  "  Nescio  cur  nos  affligimus  circa  nihil,  cum  possidere  Creatorem 
omnium  valeamus  !" — Stim.  div,  am.  p.  2,  c.  2. 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  349 

Some  will  say:  But  I  act  justly;  I  attend  to  this  busi 
ness  without  any  scruple  of  conscience.  I  answer,  first, 
that,  as  has  been  already  said,  ecclesiastics  are  forbidden 
to  engage  even  in  a  just  traffic:  hence  if  they  do  not 
violate  justice,  they  at  least  sin  against  the  precept  of 
the  Church.  Besides,  St.  Bernard  says:  "Wherever  the 
river  flows  there  it  hollows  out  the  earth;  so  the  appli-  ' 
cation  to  earthly  affairs  injures  the  conscience."  ]  As 
in  their  passage  the  running  waters  eat  away  the  banks 
of  the  river,  so  the  cares  of  traffic  gnaw  the  conscience, 
that  is,  they  make  us  always  fail  in  some  duty.  If,  says 
St.  Gregory,  traffic  were  productive  of  no  other  evil,  at 
least  the  crowd  of  worldly  thoughts  that  it  engenders 
closes  the  ear  of  the  heart,  and  prevents  it  from  hearing 
the  divine  inspirations.2  In  a  word,  St.  Isidore  writes: 
"The  more  priests  occupy  themselves  with  the  care  of 
earthly  affairs,  the  more  they  separate  themselves  from 
the  things  of  heaven."  :  It  is  true  that  some  are  obliged 
by  charity  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  their  family;  but, 
according  to  St.  Gregory,  this  should  be  permitted  only 
in  cases  of  strict  necessity.4  Some  priests  undertake, 
without  necessity,  the  care  of  the  concerns  of  their 
family,  and  even  forbid  relatives  to  interfere  in  them; 
but  if  they  wished  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  their  family 
why  have  they  become  ministers  of  the  family  of  God  ? 

The  priest  who  seeks  to  be  employed  in  the  courts 
of  the  great  also  exposes  his  soul  to  very  imminent  dan 
ger.  Peter  de  Blois  says  that  as  the  saints  are  saved 
through  many  tribulations,  so  they  who  enter  courts  are 

1  "  Rivus,  qua  fluit,  cavat  terram ;  sic  discursus  temporalium  con- 
scientiam  rodit." — De  Cons,  1.  4,  c.  6. 

2  "Aurem  cordis  terrenarum  cogitationum  turba,  dum  perstrepit, 
claudit." — Mor.  1.  23,  c.  20. 

3  "Quanto  se  rerum  studiis  occupant,  tanto  a  charitate  divina  se 
separant." 

4  "  Ssecularia  negotia   aliquando   ex   compassione    toleranda   sunt, 
nunquam  vero  ex  amore  requirenda." — Past.  p.  2,  c.  7. 


350  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

lost  through  many  tribulations.1  It  is  very  dangerous 
for  a  priest  to  plead  as  an  advocate  in  the  courts  of  law. 
"  In  the  court,"  says  St.  Ambrose,  "  Christ  is  not  found."  2 
What  fervor,  I  ask,  can  the  priest  have  who  pleads  in  the 
courts?  How  can  he  say  the  Office  and  Mass  with  de 
votion  when  the  causes  he  has  to  defend  fill  his  whole 
mind  and  hinder  him  from  thinking  of  God  ?  The  causes 
that  a  priest  should  advocate  are  the  causes  of  poor 
sinners;  and  these  he  should  seek  to  deliver  from  the 
hands  of  the  devil  and  from  eternal  death  by  sermons, 
by  hearing  confessions,  or  at  least  by  admonitions  and 
prayers.  A  priest  should  abstain  from  pleading,  not 
only  for  others,  but  also  for  himself.  Every  temporal 
law-suit  is  a  seminary  of  cares  and  disquietudes,  of 
rancor  and  sins.  Hence  we  read  in  the  Gospel:  And 
if  a  man  will  contend  with  tJiee  in  judgment  and  take 
away  thy  coat,  let  go  thy  cloak  also  to  him?  We  know 
that  this  is  only  a  counsel;  but  let  us  at  least  avoid 
suits  that  are  but  of  trifling  importance.  You  may 
get  rid  of  temporal  misery,  you  may  gain  a  victory, 
but  you  shall  suffer  a  great  loss  of  fervor  and  peace. 
"  Sacrifice  something,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  in  order 
that  you  may  enjoy  God  and  escape  law-suits.  Lose 
your  money  in  order  to  purchase  peace  for  your  soul."4 
St.  Francis  de  Sales  has  said  that  to  go  to  law,  and  not 
yield  to  folly,  is  scarcely  given  to  the  saints.  Hence  St. 
John  Chrysostom  condemned  all  that  engaged  in  litiga 
tion.5 

1  "  Per  multas  tribulationes,  intrant  justi  in  regnum  coelorum;  hi 
autem,  per  multas  tribulationes,  promerentur  infernum." — Ep.  14. 

2  "  Non  in  foro  Christus  reperitur." — DC  Virginit.  \.  3. 

3  "  Ei.  qui  vult  tecum  judicio  contendere,  et  tunicam  tuam  tollere, 
dimitte  ei  et  pallium." — Matt.  v.  40. 

4  "  Perde  aliquid,  ut  Deo  vaces,   non  litibus.      Perde  nummos,  ut 
emas  tibi  quietem." — Serin.  167,  R.  B. 

5  "  Hinc  jam  te  condemno,   quod  judicio  contendas." — In   i    Cor. 
horn.  16. 


INSTR.  viii.]         Interior  Mortification.  351 

What  shall  we  say  of  gaming?  According  to  the 
Canons,  it  is  certain  that  to  play  frequently  and  for  a 
long  time  at  games  of  mere  hazard,  or  for  a  large  sum, 
at  least  when  it  is  accompanied  with  scandal  to  others, 
is  a  mortal  sin.  With  regard  to  other  games,  which  are 
called  games  of  amusement,  I  will  not  here  discuss  the 
question  whether  they  are  lawful  or  unlawful;  but  I  say 
that  such  amusements  are  but  little  suited  to  a  minister 
of  God,  who,  if  he  wishes  to  fulfil  his  obligation  to  him 
self  and  his  neighbor,  has  certainly  no  superfluous  time 
to  spend  in  gaming.  I  read  that  St.  John  Chrysostom 
says:  "It  is  the  devil  that  has  introduced  gaming  into 
the  world."1  I  find  that  St.  Ambrose  writes:  "  I  am  of 
opinion  that  one  should  not  only  avoid  frequent  plays, 
but  all  plays."5  In  the  same  place  he  says  that  recrea 
tion  is  lawful;  but  not  the  recreations  which  derange 
regularity  of  life,  or  which  are  not  suited  to  one's  state. 
Hence  he  adds:  "Although  at  times  a  play  may  be 
proper,  yet  it  is  not  proper  for  ecclesiastics."3 

2.  HONORS. 

Secondly,  a  priest  should  divest  himself  of  attach 
ment  to  worldly  honors.  Peter  de  Blois  says  that  the 
ambition  of  honors  is  the  ruin  of  souls.4  For  ambition 
disturbs  regularity  of  life,  and  injures  charity  towards 
God.  Ambition,  as  the  same  author  says,  pretends  to 
resemble  charity,  and  is  quite  opposed  to  it.  Charity 
suffers  all  things,  but  only  for  the  attainment  of  eternal 
goods:  ambition  bears  all  things,5  but  only  for  things 

"  Diabolus  est  qui  in  artem  ludos  ingessit." — In  Matth.  horn.  6. 

"  Non  solum  profusos,  sed  omnes  etiam  jocos  declinandos  arbi- 
tror." — Offic.  1.  i,  c.  23. 

"Licet  interdum  honesta  joca  sint,  tamen  ab  ecclesiastica  abhor 
rent  regula.'' 

"Animarum  subversio,  cupiditas  dignitatum." — Ep.  23. 

"  Patitur  omnia,  sed  pro  caducis." — Ep.  14. 


352  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n 

perishable.  Charity  is  all  benignity  to  the  poor,  but  am 
bition  is  kind  to  the  rich.1  Charity  bears  all2  in  order 
to  please  God;  ambition  submits  to  all  evils  for  the  sake 
of  vanity.  Charity  believes  and  hopes  for  all  that  ap 
pertains  to  eternal  glory;  ambition  believes  all  things, 
hopes  for  all  things,  that  tend  to  the  glory  of  this  life.3 

Oh  !  to  how  many  thorns,  fears,  censures,  refusals, 
and  insults  must  the  ambitious  submit  in  order  to  attain 
a  dignity,  an  office  of  honor !  "  How  many  thorns 
await  those  that  strive  after  honors!"4  says  St.  Augus 
tine.  And  in  the  end  what  do  the  ambitious  gain  but  a 
little  smoke,  which,  when  enjoyed,  does  not  content  the 
heart,  and  speedily  disappears.  /  have  seen  the  wicked 
highly  exalted,  and  lifted  up  like  the  cedars  of  Lebanon.  And 
I  passed  by,  and  lo  he  was  not?  Besides,  the  Scripture 
says  that  to  him  who  seeks  it  honor  becomes  an  occa 
sion  of  disgrace.  The  promotion  of  fools  is  disgrace?  And, 
according  to  St.  Bernard,  the  greater  the  honor  the 
more  the  unworthy  possessor,  who  has  procured  it  by 
his  own  exertions,  is  despised  by  others.7  For  the 
more  exalted  the  dignity,  the  more  clearly  the  man  who 
is  unfit  for  it  shows  his  unworthiness  by  seeking  to 
obtain  it.8 

Add  to  this  the  great  dangers  of  eternal  salvation 
which  arise  from  offices  of  honor.  Father  Vincent 
Carafa  once  visited  a  sick  friend  who  had  just  been 
appointed  to  a  situation  of  great  emolument,  but  also  of 

1  "  Benigna  est,  sed  divitibus." 

2  "  Omnia  suffert  pro  vanitate." 

3  "  Omnia  credit,   omnia  sperat,   sed  quse  sunt  ad  gloriam  hujus 
vitae." 

4  "  In  honorurn  cupiditate,  quanta  spinae  !" — Enarr.  in  Ps.  102. 

5  "  Vidi  impium  superexaltatum,  et  elevatum  sicut  cedros  Libani; 
et  transivi,  et  ecce  non  erat." — Ps.  xxxvi.  35. 

6  "  Stultorum  exaltatio,  ignominia." — Prov.  Hi.  35. 

7  "  Eo  deformior,  quo  illustrior." — DC  O;«.  1.  2,  c.  7. 

8  "  Claras  suas  maculas  reddit." — Variar*  1.  12,  n.  2. 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  353 

great  danger.  The  sick  man  entreated  the  Father  to 
obtain  from  God  the  restoration  of  his  health;  but  Ca- 
rafa  answered:  No,  my  friend,  God  forbid  that  I  should 
violate  the  love  that  I  bear  you:  your  sickness  is  a  grace 
from  the  Lord,  who  wishes  to  save  you  by  sending  death 
now  that  your  soul  is  in  a  good  state.  Perhaps  you 
might  not  be  in  such  a  state  hereafter  should  you  enter 
on  the  office  that  has  been  given  you.  The  friend  died, 
and  died  full  of  consolation.  We  should  have  a  special 
fear  of  all  offices  to  which  the  care  of  souls  is  annexed. 
St.  Augustine  said  that  many  envied  his  elevation  to 
the  episcopacy,  but  he  was  afflicted  at  it  on  account  of 
the  danger  to  which  his  salvation  was  exposed.1  St.  John 
Chrysostom  when  made  bishop  was  so  much  terrified 
that,  as  he  afterwards  said,  he  felt  as  if  his  soul  were 
separating  from  the  body:  he  had  great  doubts  about 
the  salvation  of  a  pastor  of  souls.2  But  if  the  saints, 
forced  against  their  will  to  become  prelates,  tremble  for 
the  account  that  they  must  render  to  God,  howr  should 
he  tremble  who  intrudes  himself  into  an  office  to  which 
is  annexed  the  care  of  souls  ?  "  The  measure  of  honor,1' 
says  St.  Ambrose,  "  must  be  measured  by  the  strength 
of  him  that  is  to  bear  it,  otherwise  if  the  bearer  is  too 
weak  the  burden  will  weigh  him  down  and  cause  his 
ruin." J  A  weak  man  who  puts  on  his  back  a  great 
weight  shall  not  be  able  to  carry  it,  but  shall  be  op 
pressed  by  it. 

St.  Anselm  says  that  he  who  wishes  to  obtain  eccle 
siastical  honors  through  right  and  wrong  does  not  re- 

"  Invident    nobis;    ibi    nos    felices    putant,    ubi    periclitamur." — 
Serm.  354,  E.  B. 

2  "  Miror,  an  fieri  possit,  ut  aliquis  ex  rectoribus  salvus  fiat." — In 
Heb.  horn.  34. 

3  "  Mensura   oneris,   pro  mensura  debet    esse    gestantis;    alioquin 
impositi  oneris  fit  ruina,  ubi  vectoris  infirmitas  est." — Lib.  de  Viduis. 

23 


354  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

ceive  them,  but  takes  them  by  force.1  St.  Bernard  says 
the  same:  "Those  whom  we  see  entering  of  themselves 
the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  are  not  laborers,  but  robbers. "2 
This  is  conformable  to  the  words  of  Osee:  They  have 
reigned,  but  not  by  Me.3  *  Hence  it  happens,  as  St.  Leo 
says,  that  the  Church,  which  is  governed  by  such  ambi 
tious  ministers,  is  neither  served  nor  honored,  but  de 
spised  and  defiled.4 

Let  us,  then,  attend  to  the  beautiful  lesson  of  Jesus 
Christ:  Sit  down  in  the  lowest  place?  He  who  sits  on  the 
ground  is  not  afraid  of  falling.  We  are  ashes:  "  The 
place  of  ashes  and  dust  is  not  in  a  high  place,  for  they 
will  be  scattered  by  the  wind,"  says  the  angelic  Doctor." 
Happy  the  priest  who  can  say:  I  have  chosen  to  be  an  ab 
ject  in  the  house  of  my  God  rather  than  to  dwell  in  the  taber 
nacles  of  sinners.'1 

3.  RELATIVES. 

Thirdly,  a  priest  must  divest  himself  of  attachment 
to  relatives.  If  any  man,  says  Jesus  Christ,  hate  not  his 
father  and  mother,  .  .  .  he  cannot  be  my  disciple?  But  how 

1  "Qui  enim  se  ingerit,  et    propriam    gloriam    quaerit,  non   sumit 
honorem,  sed,  gratise  Dei  rapinam  faciens,  jus  alienum  usurpat." — 
In  Heb.  v.  4. 

2  "  Quos  videmus   vineis   dominicis   se    ingerere,  fures   sunt,  non 
cultores." — In  Cant.  s.  30. 

3  "  Ipse  regnaverunt,  et  non  ex  me." — Osee,  viii.  4. 

4  "  Corpus  Ecclesise  ambientium  contagione  foedatur." — Ep.  I. 

5  "  Recumbe  in  novissimo  loco." — L-uke,  xiv.  10. 

6  "  Cineri  non  expedit,  ut  in  alto  sit,  ne  dispergatur  a  vento." — De 
Enid,  princ.  \.  I,  c.  I. 

1  "  Elegi  abjectus  esse  in  domo  Dei  mei,  magis  quam  habitare  in 
tabernaculis  peccatorum." — Ps.  Ixxxiii.  u. 

"  Si  quis  .   .   .  non  odit  patrem  suum  et  matrem,   .   .   .  non  potest 
meus  esse  discipulus." — Luke,  xiv.  26. 


*  We  may  also  apply  here  the  words  of  our  Lord:  "  Qui  non  intrat 
per  ostium  in  ovile  ovium,  sed  ascendit  aliunde,  ille  fur  est  et  latro." 
— John,  x.  i. 


INSTR.  viii.]         Interior  Mortification.  355 

are  we  to  hate  relatives  ?  We  must,  says  a  learned 
author,  disown  them  in  whatever  is  opposed  to  our 
spiritual  advancement:  "If  they  hinder  us  from  living 
according  to  the  rules  of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  if  they 
ask  that  we  should  involve  ourselves  in  secular  busi 
ness,  then  we  must  hate  and  shun  them  as  our  oppo 
nents."  '  And  before  him  St.  Gregory  said:  "  To  those 
that  are  a  hindrance  to  us  on  the  road  to  God  we  must 
show  by  hatred  and  flight  that  we  do  not  know  them."2 
Peter  de  Blois  writes:  "No  one  should  be  chosen  priest 
who  does  not  say  to  his  father  and  mother,  I  know  you 
not.":  St.  Ambrose  says  that  he  who  wishes  to  serve 
God  ought  to  deny  his  relatives.4  We  should  honor 
parents,  but  we  must  first  obey  God,  says  St.  Augustine.5 
To  show  great  kindness  to  relatives,  and  not  to  obey  God, 
is,  according  to  St.  Jerome,  not  piety,  but  impiety."  Our 
Redeemer  has  declared  that  he  came  on  earth  to  detach 
us  from  relatives.  I  came  to  set  a  man  at  variance  against 
his  father,  and  the  daughter  against  her  mother,  etc.7  And 
why?  Because  in  spiritual  concerns  .relatives  are  our 
greatest  enemies:  A  mans  enemies  shall  be  they  of  his 
household.*  Hence  St.  Basil  exhorts  us  to  avoid,  as  a 
temptation  of  the  devil,  the  care  of  the  property  of  rela- 

1  "  Si  prohibeant  ne  vitam  secundum  ecclesiastics  discipline  nor- 
mam  instituat,  si  negotiis  ssecularibus  eum  implicent,  tune  eos,  tan- 
quam  in  Dei  adversaries,  odisse  et  fugere  tenetur." — Abelly,  Sac.  chr. 
p.  4,  c.  6. 

2  "Quos  adversaries  in  via  Dei  patimur,  odiendo  et  fugiendo  nes- 
ciamus." — In  Evang.  horn.  37. 

"  Nee  in  domo  Domini  Sacerdos  eligitur,  nisi  qui  dixerit  patri  et 
matri:   Nescio  vos." — Ep.  102. 

4  "  Suis  se  abneget,  qui  servire  Deo  gestit." — De  Esau,  c.  2. 
6  "  Honorandus  est  pater,  sed  obediendum  est  Deo." — Serni.  100, 
E.  B. 

6  "Grandis  in  suos  pietas,  impietas  in  Deum  est."— Ep.  ad  Paulam. 
"  Veni  enim  separare  hominem  adversus  patrem  suum." — Matth. 
x.  35- 

"  Et  inimici  hominis,  domestici  ejus." — Ibid.  36. 


356  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

tives.1  What  a  misery  to  see  a  priest  who  could  save 
numberless  souls  altogether  occupied  in  transacting  the 
business  of  his  family,  and  in  attending  to  the  manage 
ment  of  farms,  flocks  of  sheep,  and  the  like  ?  What  ! 
exclaims  St.  Jerome,  must  a  priest  abandon  the  service 
of  the  Father  of  heaven  to  please  an  earthly  parent  ?2 
The  saint  says  that  when  there  is  question  of  serving 
God,  a  son  (if  it  be  necessary)  should  trample  on  his 
father:  "  What  would  you  do  in  the  house  of  your  parents, 
O  delicate  soldier  !"  asks  the  saint,  "where  is  the  wall, 
where  the  ditch  ?  Yes,  even  if  the  father  lay  across  the 
threshold  walk  quietly  over  him,  and  hasten  with  un- 
moistened  eyes  to  the  banner  of  the  cross.  Filial  piety 
in  this  case  consists  in  being  cruel."  : 

St.  Augustine  relates  that  St.  Anthony  having  received 
a  letter  from  his  relatives  threw  it  into  the  fire,  saying: 
"I  burn  you  lest  I  be  burnt  by  you.""  According  to 
St.  Gregory,  he  who  wishes  to  be  united  with  God  must 
detach  himself  from  relatives.5  Otherwise,  as  Peter  de 
Blois  says,  the  love  of  flesh  and  blood  will  soon  deprive 
us  of  the  love  of  God.6  It  is  difficult  to  find  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  midst  of  relatives.  "  How  shall  I,"  says 
St.  Bonaventure,  "find  Thee,  O  Jesus  !  among  my  rela 
tives,  since  Thou  wert  not  found  among  Thine?"7 
When  the  divine  mother,  after  having  found  Jesus  in 

1  "  Fugiamus  illorum  curam  tamquam  diabolicam." — Const.   Alon. 
c.  21. 

2  "  Propter  patrem,  militiam  Christ!  deseram  ?" 

3  "  Quid  facis  in  paterna  domo,  delicate  miles?     Ubi  vallum?  ubi 
fossa?     Licet  in   limine    pater   jaceat,    per   calcatum    perge    patrem, 
siccis  oculis  ad  vexillum  Crucis  evola.     Solum  pietatis  genus  est  in 
hac  re,  ess^  crudelem." — Ep.  ad  Heliod. 

4  "Comburo  vos,  ne  comburar  a  vobis." — Ad  Fr.  in  er.  s.  40. 

5  "  Extra   cognates    quisque   debet    fieri,    si   vult   Parenti   omnium 
verius  jungi." — Mor.  1.  7,  c.  18. 

6  "  Carnalis  amor  extra  Dei  amorem  cito  te  capiet." — Ep.  134. 

7  "  Quomodo   te,    bone   Jesu,    inter   meos   cognates  inveniam,    qu 
inter  tuos  minime  es  invcntus?" — Spec.  Disc.  p.  i,  c.  23. 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  357 

the  temple,  said  to  him:  Son,  why  hast  Thou  done  so  to 
us?1  the  Redeemer  answered:  How  is  it  that  you  sought 
Me  ?  did  you  not  know  that  I  must  be  about  My  Father's 
business?'*'  Such  should  be  the  answer  of  a  priest  to  his 
relatives  when  they  wish  to  charge  him  with  the  care  of 
his  family.  I  am  a  priest;  I  can  attend  only  to  the 
things  of  God;  to  you  who  are  seculars  it  belongs  to 
mind  the  things  of  the  world.  It  was  this  our  Lord 
wished  to  signify  to  the  young  man  whom  he  called  to 
follow  him,  when,  in  answer  to  the  young  man's  re 
quest  to  be  permitted  to  bury  his  father,  he  said:  Let 
the  dead  bury  the  dead? 

4.  SELF-WILL. 

It  is  necessary,  above  all,  to  remove  attachment  to 
self-will.  St.  Philip  Neri  used  to  say  that  sanctity  con 
sists  in  the  mortification  of  self-will.  Blosius  has  as 
serted  that  he  who  mortifies  self-will  does  an  act  more 
pleasing  to  God  than  if  he  gave  life  to  the  dead.4  Hence 
many  priests  and  pastors,  and  even  bishops,  who  led 
exemplary  lives,  and  devoted  their  time  and  labor  to 
the  salvation  of  souls,  not  content  with  all  this,  have 
entered  religion  in  order  to  live  under  obedience  to 
others;  believing — what  is  really  the  truth — that  they 
could  not  offer  to  God  a  sacrifice  more  acceptable  than 
the  renunciation  of  their  own  will.  All  are  not  called 
to  the  religious  state;  but  he  who  wishes  to  walk  in  the 
way  of  perfection  (besides  the  obedience  due  to  his  prel 
ate)  must  submit  his  will  to  the  direction  of  at  least  a 
spiritual  Father,  who  will  guide  him  in  all  his  spiritual 
exercises,  and  also  in  temporal  affairs  of  importance, 

1  "  Fili,  quid  fecisti  nobis  sic?" 

2  "Quid  est  quod   me  quaerebatis  ?   nesciebatis    quia,    in    his   quae 
Patris  mei  sunt,  oportet  me  esse?" — Luke,  ii.  49. 

3  "  Dimitte  mortuos  sepelire  mortuos  suos." — Matth.  viii.  22. 

4  "  Acceptius  obsequium  homo  prsestat  Deo,  suam  voluntatem  mor- 
t.ificans,  quam  si  mortuos  ad  vitam  revocaret." — Sac.  an.  p.  i,  §  5.. 


358  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  H. 

which  are  connected  with  the  sanctification  of  his  soul. 
What  is  done  through  self-will  is  of  little  or  no  advan 
tage  to  the  soul. 

In  the  day  of  your  fast  your  own  will  is  found?  Hence 
St.  Bernard  has  written:  "A  great  evil  is  self-will, 
which  causes  the  good  that  you  do  not  to  be  good 
to  you."2  The  greatest  enemy  we  have  is  self-will. 
"  Let  self-will  cease,"  says  the  same  St.  Bernard,  "  and 
there  will  be  no  longer  a  hell."  ;  Hell  is  full  of  self-will. 
What  but  our  own  will  is  the  cause  of  our  sins  ?  St. 
Augustine  confessed  of  himself  that  he  was  impelled  by 
grace  to  forsake  sin,  but  he  remained  in  it  bound  by  no 
other  chain  than  that  of  his  own  will.4  St.  Bernard 
teaches  that  self-will  is  so  opposed  to  God  that  were 
his  destruction  possible  it  would  destroy  him.5  He, 
says  the  same  saint,  who  becomes  his  own  disciple,  be 
comes  the  disciple  of  a  fool.6 

It  is  necessary  to  understand  that  all  our  good  con 
sists  in  a  union  with  the  divine  will.  And  life  in  his  good 
will?  But,  ordinarily  speaking,  God  makes  his  will 
known  to  us  only  through  our  Superiors,  that  is,  through 
our  prelate  or  director.  He  that  heareth you,  says  Jesus 
Christ,  heareth  Me ;8  and  he  adds:  despiseth you,  dcspiseth 
Me?  Hence  in  the  Scripture  not  to  submit  to  the 

1  "  In  die  jejunii  vestri,  invenitur  voluntas  vestra." — Isa.  Iviii.  3. 

2  "  Grande  malum,  propria  voluntas,  qua  fit  ut  bona  tua  tibi  bona 
non  sint." — In  Cant.  s.  71. 

3  "Cesset  voluntas  propria,  et  infernus  nonerit." — In  Temp.  Pasch. 
s.  3. 

4  "  Ligatus,  non  ferro  alieno,  sed  mea  ferrea  voluntate." — Conf.  1. 
8,  c.  5. 

5  "Quantum   in   ipsa   est,    Deum   perimit    propria   voluntas." — In 
Temp.  Pasch.  s.  3. 

6  "  Qui  se  sibi  magistrum  constituit,  stulto  se  discipulum  subdit." — 
Ep.  87. 

7  "  Et  vita  in  voluntate  ejus." — Ps.  xxix.  6. 

8  "Qui  vos  audit,  me  audit." — Luke,  x.  16. 

9  "  Et  qui.  vos  spernit,  me  spernit.." 


INSTR.  viii.]        Interior  Mortification.  35.9 

authority  of  Superiors  is  called  a  species  of  idolatry. 
Because  it  is  like  the  sin  of  witchcraft  to  rebel?  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  St.  Bernard  assures  us  that  in  whatever  our 
spiritual  Father  directs  us,  unless  it  be  certainly  sinful, 
we  should  feel  as  secure  as  if  God  himself  had  spoken  to 
us.2 

Happy  he  who  can  say  at  death  with  the  Abbot  John: 
"  I  have  never  done  my  own  will,  and  never  taught  any 
thing  that  I  did  not  do  myself."1  Hence  Cassian,  who 
relates  this  fact,  has  written  that  by  the  mortification  of 
self-will  all  vices  are  destroyed.4  And  before  him  the 
Wise  Man  said:  An  obedient  man  shall  speak  of  victory? 
And  in  another  place:  Obedience  is  better  than  sacrifices!' 
For  he  who  offers  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  alms,  fasts, 
penitential  works,  sacrifices  to  him  only  a  part  of  him 
self;  but  he  who  gives  God  his  will  by  subjecting  it  to 
obedience,  gives  all  that  he  is  able  to  give,  and  can  say 
to  him:  Lord,  having  given  you  my  will,  I  have  nothing 
more  to  give  you.  Hence  St.  Laurence  Justinian  has 
written  that  they  who  offer  the  sacrifice  of  self-will  to 
God  shall  obtain  from  him  whatever  they  ask.7  And 
God  himself  has  promised  those  who  renounce  self-will 
that  he  will  raise  them  above  the  earth,  and  make  them 
celestial  men.  If  thou  turn  away  thy  foot  .  .  .  from 

1  "  Quasi  scelus  idololatrise,  nolle  acquiescere."—  i  Kings,  xv.  23. 

2  "  Quidquid,  vice  Dei,  praecipit  homo,  quod  non  sit  tamen  certum 
displicere    Deo,  baud  secus  omnino  accipiendum  est,   quam  si  prae- 
cipiat  Deus." — De  Prccc.  et  Disp.  c.  9. 

3  "  Nunquam  meam  feci  voluntatem;  nee  quemquam  docui,  quod 
prius  ipse  non  feci." 

4  "  Mortificatione    voluntatum    marcescunt    universa    vitia." — De 
Catnob.  inst.  1.  4,  c.  28-43. 

5  "  Vir  obediens  loquetur  victoriam." — Prov.  xxi.  28. 

6  "  Melior  est  enim  obedientia  quam  victimae." — I  Kings,  xv.  22. 

7  "  Sicut  seipsum  Deo  tradidit,  voluntatem  propriam  immolando, 
sic  a  Deo,  omne  quod  poposcerit,  consequetur." — Lign.  v.  de  Obe.d. 
c.  3. 


360  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  11. 

doing  thy  own  will,  .  .  .  /  will  lift  thee  up  above  the  high 
places  of  the  earth.1 

5.  MEANS  OF  CONQUERING  SELF-WILL. 

The  means  of  conquering  self-will  and  of  subduing  all 
irregular  passions  are  the  following: 

1.  Prayer:  he  who  prays,  obtains  all  graces.   "  Though 
prayer  is  but  one,  it  can  do  all  things,"  2  says  St.  Bona- 
venture.      And  before  him  Jesus  Christ  said:    You  shall 
ask  whatever  you  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you? 

2.  To  do  violence  to  self  with  a  determined  will.     A 
resolute  will  surmounts  all  difficulties. 

3.  To  make  our  examen  on  the  passion  that  molests 
us,  and  to  impose  a  penance  on  ourselves  as  often  as  we 
yield  to  it. 

4.  To  indulge  in  a  multitude  of  desires.    "  I,"  said  St. 
Francis  de  Sales,4  "  desire  but  few  things,  and  my  desire 
for  them  is  not  strong." 

5.  To  practise  mortification  in  small  things,  and  even 
in  things  that  are  not  sinful;  for  thus  we  shall  acquire  a 
facility  of  overcoming  great  difficulties.     For  example, 
by   abstaining   from    certain    jests,    by    not    indulging 
curiosity,  not  pulling  a  flower,  not  opening  letters  for 
some  time  after  we  receive  them,  by  giving  up  certain 
undertakings,   making  a  sacrifice  of  them  to  God,  re 
gardless  of   the  honor  that   they  might  procure  for  us. 
What  advantage  do  we  now  derive  from  so  many  grati 
fications  ?  from  so  many  successful  undertakings?    Had 
we  been  mortified  on  such  occasions,  how  many  merits 
should  we  now  have  treasured  up  before  God  !    Hence 
forth  let  us  labor  to  gain  something  for  eternity.     Let 

1  "  Si   averteris  .   .  .  facere   voluntatem    tuam,   .  .  .   sustollam   te 
super  altitudines  terrse." — Isa.  Iviii.  13. 

2  "  Oratio,  cum  sit  una,  omnia  potest." 

1  "  Quodcumque  volueritis,  petetis,  et  fiet  vobis." — John,  xv.  7. 


INSTR.  vni.  i        Interior  Mortification.  361 

us  reflect  that  we  are  drawing  near  the  grave.  The 
more  we  mortify  ourselves  the  less  we  shall  suffer  in 
purgatory,  and  the  greater  the  glory  that  we  shall  merit 
for  eternity  in  heaven.  On  this  earth  we  are  only  in 
passage:  we  shall  soon  be  in  eternity.  I  conclude  with 
the  words  of  St.  Philip  Neri:  "  Foolish  is  the  man  who 
does  not  become  a  saint." 


362  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 


INSTRUCTION  IX. 

EXTERIOR   MORTIFICATION. 

I. 

Necessity  of  Exterior  Mortification. 

ST.  GREGORY  says  that  no  man  is  fit  to  be  a  minister  of 
God,  and  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  the  altar,  unless  he  has 
first  sacrificed  himself  entirely  to  God.1  And  St.  Am 
brose  writes:  "  This  is  the  primitive  sacrifice,  that  every 
one  offers  himself  first  to  God,  in  order  afterwards  to  be 
able  to  offer  his  gift."  2  And  long  before,  the  Redeemer 
said:  Unless  the  grain  of  wheat  falling  into  the  ground  die, 
itself  remaineth  alone*  He,  then,  who  wishes  to  bring 
forth  fruits  of  eternal  life,  must  die  to  himself;  that  is, 
he  must  desire  nothing  for  his  own  satisfaction,  and,  as 
St.  Gregory  has  written,  he  must  embrace  all  that  is 
mortifying  to  the  flesh.4  He  who  is  dead  to  himself 
must,  according  to  Lanspergius,  live  in  the  world  as  if 
he  saw  nothing,  heard  nothing;  as  if  nothing  disturbed 
and  as  if  nothing  gave  him  content  but  God.  For,  says 
Jesus  Christ,  he  that  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it?  Happy 

1  "  Nullus  Deo  et  Sacrificio  dignus  est,  nisi  qui  prius  se  viventem 
hostiam  exhibuerit." — Apolog.  I. 

2  "  Hoc  est    sacrificium  primitivum,  quando    unusquisqne    se  offert 
hostiam,  ut  postea  munus  suum  possit  offerre." — DC  Cain  ct  Ab.  1.  2, 
c.  6. 

3  "Nisi  granum  frumenti   cadens  in  terram  mortuum  fuerit,  ipsum 
solum  manet;  si   autem   mortuum   fuerit,  multum   fructum   affert."- 
John,  xii.  24. 

4  "  Nihil   quod   caro  blanditur,    libeat;  nihil   quod   carnalem   vitam 
trucidat,  spiritus  perhorrescat." — In  Evang.  honi.  n. 

5  "  Qui  enim  voluerit  animam  suam  salvam  facere,  perdet  earn;  qui 
autem  perdiderit  animam  suam  propter  me,  inveniet  earn," — Matth.. 
xvi.  25. 


INSTR.  ix.]          Exterior  Mortification.  363 

loss,  exclaims  St.  Hilary,  when  everything  in  this  world, 
and  even  life  itself,  is  lost  in  order  to  follow  Jesus  Christ 
and  to  gain  eternal  glory.1  St.  Bernard  says  that  were 
there  no  other  reason  for  giving  ourselves  entirely  to 
God,  it  would  be  enough  to  know  that  God  has  given 
himself  entirely  to  us.2  But  to  give  ourselves  to  God 
without  reserve,  it  is  necessary  to  banish  from  the*  heart 
every  earthly  desire.  "  Wherever  charity  is  augmented," 
says  St.  Augustine,  "  there  cupidity  is  diminished.  Free 
dom  from  all  cupidity  is  perfection."1  He  who  least 
desires  the  goods  of  the  earth,  loves  God  most;  he  who 
desires  nothing,  loves  God  perfectly. 

In  the  preceding  instruction  we  have  spoken  of  in 
terior  mortification:  we  shall  now  speak  of  external 
mortification,  or  the  mortification  of  the  senses.  This 
species  of  mortification  is  also  necessary,  because  on 
account  of  sin  our  flesh  wars,  as  the  Apostle  said  of 
himself,  against  reason,  and  is  an  enemy  to  our  salva 
tion:  I  see  another  law  in  my  members,  fighting  against  the 
law  of  my  mind?  "  That  is,"  says  St.  Thomas  in  his 
comment  on  this  passage,  "  the  concupiscence  of  the  flesh 
that  is  struggling  with  reason."  ''  It  is  necessary  to 
understand  that  the  soul  must  bring  the  body  under 
subjection,  or  the  body  will  trample  on  the  soul.  God 
has  given  us  senses  that  we  employ  them,  not  as  we 
please,  but  as  he  directs;  hence  we  must  mortify  the 
desires  that  are  contrary  to  the  divine  law. 

They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucified  their  flesh,  with  the 

1  "  Jactura  felix!  contemptu  universorum,  Christus  sequendus  est,  et 
aeternitas  comparanda." — In  Matth.  can.  16. 

2  "  Integrum  te  da  illi,  quia  ille,  ut  te  salvaret,  integrum  se  tradidit." 
— De  Modo  bene.  viv.  c.  8. 

3  "  Nutrimentum  charitatis  est  imminutio  cupiditatis;  perfectio,  nulla 
cupiditas." — De  div.  qucest.  q.  36. 

4  "Video  autem  aliam  legem  in  membris  meis,  repugnantem  legi 
mentis  mese." — Rom.  vii.  23. 

5  "  Id  est  concupiscentia  carnis  contrarians  rationi." 


364  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

vices  and  concupiscences.  Hence  the  saints  have  been  so 
careful  to  macerate  the  flesh.  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara 
purposed  never  to  give  any  indulgence  to  the  body,  and 
observed  his  resolution  till  death.  St.  Bernard  mal 
treated  his  body  to  such  a  degree,  that  at  death  he  asked 
its  pardon.  St.  Teresa  used  to  say  that  "it  would  be 
silliness  to  imagine  that  God  admits  to  his  friendship 
persons  who  seek  their  own  ease  and  convenience;"3 
and  in  another  place  she  says:  "Souls  that  truly  love 
God  cannot  ask  for  comforts."  !  And  St.  Ambrose  has 
written  that  he  who  does  not  cease  to  indulge  the 
body  shall  cease  to  please  God.4  According  to  St. 
Augustine,  he  who  subjects  reason  to.  the  flesh  is  a  mon 
ster  that  walks  with  his  head  downwards  and  his  feet 
upwards.5  We  are  born  for  a  more  noble  end  than  to 
be  the  slaves  of  the  body,  said  the  pagan  Seneca.6  How 
much  more  should  we  say  it,  who  know  by  faith  that 
we  have  been  created  to  enjoy  God  for  eternity?  St. 
Gregory  says  that  by  gratifying  the  desires  of  the  flesh 
we  only  nourish  enemies.7 

St.  Ambrose  weeps  over  the  misfortune  of  Solomon, 
saying  that  this  unhappy  king  had  the  glory  of  building 
the  temple  of  God,  but  that  it  would  have  been  far  bet 
ter  for  him  to  preserve  to  God  the  temple  of  his  body, 
for  the  gratification  of  which  he  lost  his  body,  his  soul, 
and  his  God.8  A  man  mounted  on  a  furious  horse  must 

1  "  Qui  autem  sunt  Christi,  carnem  suam  crucifixerunt  cum  vitiis  et 
concupiscentiis." — Gal.  v.  24. 

2  Way  of  Per f.  ch.  19.  3  Foundat.  ch.  5. 

4  "  Qui  nori  peregrinatur  a  corpora,  peregrinatur  a  Domino." — In 
L^lc.  c.  9. 

5  "Inversis  pedibus  ambulat." — Ad  Fr.  in  er.  s.  50. 

6  ' '  Major  sum  et  ad  majora  genitus,  quam  ut  mancipium  sim  mei 
corporis." — Ep.  65. 

1  "  Dum  (carni)  parcimus,  ad  praelium  hostem  nutrimus." — Mor.  1. 
30,  c.  28. 

8  "Salomon  templum  Deo  condidit;  sed  utinam  corporis  templum 
pse  servasset!" — Apol.  David.  1.  2, 


INSTR.  ix]          Exterior  Mortification.  365 

always  keep  the  reins  tight:  it  is  thus  we  must  treat  the 
body.  St.  Bernard  says  that  we  ought  to  treat  the  flesh 
as  a  physician  treats  a  patient  who  seeks  what  is  noxious 
and  refuses  what  is  conducive  to  health.  Were  a  phy 
sician,  in  order  to  please  a  sick  man,  to  give  him  what 
should  cause  his  death,  would  he  not  be  guilty  of 
cruelty?  And  in  like  manner,  let  us  be  persuaded  that 
to  indulge  the  body  is  not  charity,  but  the  greatest  act 
of  cruelty  we  can  commit  against  ourselves;  because, 
for  a  momentary  indulgence  of  the  flesh,  we  condemn 
the  soul  to  an  eternity  of  torments.  Such  is  th&language 
of  St.  Bernard:  "  Such  a  charity  destroys  charity;  such 
mercy  is  full  of  cruelty;  for  in  such  a  manner  the  body 
is  served,  but  the  soul  is  destroyed."1  In  a  word,  we 
must  change  our  palate,  and  follow  the  admonition  of 
our  Lord  to  St.  Francis:  "If  you  desire -me,  take  what 
is  bitter  as  sweets,  and  what  is  sweet  as  bitter." 

Let  us  now  attend  to  the  fruits  of  external  mortifica 
tion. 

First,  it  satisfies  for  the  pains  due  to  the  pleasures  in 
which  we  have  indulged:  these  pains  are  far  milder  in 
this  than  in  the  next  life.  St.  Antonine  relates  that  an 
angel  proposed  to  a  sick  man  the  choice  of  remaining 
three  days  in  purgatory,  or  of  being  confined  for  two 
years  to  his  bed  by  the  infirmity  under  which  he  labored. 
The  sick  man  chose  the  three  days  in  purgatory;  but  he 
was  scarcely  an  hour  there  when  he  began  to  complain 
to  the  angel  that  his  purgatory,  instead  of  continuing 
for  three  days,  had  lasted  for  several  years.  What!  re 
plied  the  angel,  your  body  is  still  warm  on  the  bed  of* 
death,  and  you  speak  of  years!  "  If  you  do  not  wish  to 
be  punished,"  says  St.  John  Chrysostom,  "  be  your  own 
judge — chastise  and  amend  yourself."2 

1  "  Ista   charitas   destruit   charitatem;    talis   misericordia  crudelitate 
plena  est,  qua  ita  corpori  servitur,  utanima  juguletur." — Apol.  ad  GuilL 
c.8 

2  "  Non  vis  castigari;  sis  judex  tui  ipsius,  te  reprehende  et  corrige." 


366  Material  for  Instriictions.          [PART  n. 

Secondly,  mortification  detaches  the  soul  from  earthly 
pleasures,  and  gives  her  a  facility  of  flying  to  God,  and 
of  uniting  herself  with  him.  St.  Francis  de  .Sales  used 
to  say  that  "  if  the  flesh  is  not  mortified  and  depressed, 
the  soul  will  never  be  able  to  raise  herself  up  to  God." 
St.  Jerome  has  said  the  same:  "Only  by  mortification 
can  the  soul  rise  to  heavenly  things." 

Thirdly,  penance  merits  for  us  eternal  goods,  as  St. 
Peter  of  Alcantara  revealed  from  heaven  to  St.  Teresa, 
saying:  "  O  happy  penance  that  has  merited  for  me  so 
much  glory!"2 

Hence  the  saints  have  endeavored  to  mortify  the  flesh 
continually,  and  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  St.  Francis 
Borgia  said  that  he  would  die  without  consolation  on 
any  day  on  which  he  had  not  mortified  his  body  by 
some  penitential  work.  A  life  of  ease  and  pleasure  on 
this  earth  cannot  be  the  life  of  a  Christian. 

II. 
Practice  of  Exterior  Mortification. 

If  we  have  not  fervor  to  mortify  the  body  by  great 
penances,  let  us  at  least  practise  some  little  mortifica 
tions:  let  us  bear  with  patience  the  pains  that  happen 
to  us.  For  example,  let  us  submit  in  peace  to  the  in 
convenience,  the  want  of  sleep,  the  disagreeable  smell 
that  we  feel  in  attending  the  dying,  to  the  annoyance 
we  experience  in  going  to  hear  the  confessions  of  per 
sons  confined  in  prison,  in  hearing  the  confessions  of 
the  poor  and  the  ignorant,  and  to  similar  occasions  of 
pain  or  trouble.  Let  us  at  least  deprive  ourselves  from 
time  to  time  of  some  lawful  pleasure.  Clement  of 
Alexandria  says:  "Whoever  does  everything  that  is 
allowed  will  soon  do  what  is  not  allowed."  :  He  who 

"  Anima  in  coelestia  non  surgit,  nisi  mortificatione  membrorum." 

2  "  O  felix  poenitenda,  qua;  tantam  mihi  promeruit  gloriani!" 

3  "  Cito  adducuntur,  ut  ea  faciant  quae  non  licent,  qui  faciunt  omnia 
quae  licent." — Picdag.  1.  2,  c.  I. 


INSTR.  ix.]          Exterior  Mortification.  367 

wishes  to  indulge  in  all  gratifications  that  are  in  them 
selves  lawful,  will  not  abstain  long  from  unlawful 
pleasures.  That  great  servant  of  God,  Vincent  Carafa, 
of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  used  to  say  that  God  has  given 
us  earthly  goods  not  only  for  our  delight,  but  also  that 
we  might  have  a  means  of  showing  our  gratitude  to  him 
by  abstaining  from  pleasures,  and  giving  him  back  his 
own  gifts  in  proof  of  our  love;  for,  as  St.  Gregory 
writes,1  he  who  is  accustomed  to  renounce  lawful  grati 
fications  easily  abstains  from  forbidden  pleasures. 

Let  us  speak  of  the  mortifications  of  the  senses,  that 
we  can  practise,  and  especially  of  the  mortifications  of 
the  eyes,  the  taste,  and  the  touch. 

i.  THE  EYES  AND  THE  WHOLE  EXTERIOR. 

First,  it  is  necessary  to  mortify  the  eyes.  "  Through 
the  eyes,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  the  dart  of  impure  love 
enters  the  heart."2  The  first  darts  that  wound,  and 
sometimes  kill,  the  chaste  soul,  enter  through  the  eyes.3 
By  means  of  the  eyes  bad  thoughts  spring  up  in  the 
mind.  "  What  is  not  seen,"  says  St.  Francis  de  Sales, 
"is  not  desired."  Hence  the  devil  first  tempts  a  person 
to  look,  then  to  desire,  and  afterwards  to  consent.  Thus 
he  acted  with  the  Saviour  himself:  He  showed  Him  all 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world.  He  then  tempted  him,  saying: 
All  these  will  I  give  Thee,  if  falling  down  Thou  wilt  adore 
me*  The  evil  spirit  gained  nothing  by  tempting  Jesus 
Christ,  but  by  thus  tempting  Eve  he  gained  a  great 
deal:  She  saw  that  the  tree  was  good  to  cat,  and  fair  to  the 
eyes,  .  .  .  and  she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof*  etc. 

1  Dial.  1.  4,  c.  II. 

2  "Per  oculos  intrat   ad    mentem  sagitta  amoris." — De  Modo  bene 
viv.  s.  23. 

8  "  Oculus  meus  depraedatus  est  animam  meam." — Lam.  iii.  51. 

4  "  Haec  omnia  tibi  dabo,  si  cadens  adoraverisme." — Matth.  iv.  9. 

5  "  Vidit  igitur  mulier  quod  bonum  esset    lignum  ad  vescendum,  et 
pulchrum    oculis,  aspectuque   delectabile;   et    tulit   de   fructu  iliius,  et 
comedit." — Gen.  iii.  6. 


368  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

Tertullian  says  that  certain  little  glances  are  the  be 
ginnings  of  the  greatest  iniquities.1  And  St.  Jerome 
compares  the  eyes  to  certain  hooks,  which  drag  us,  as 
it  were,  by  force  to  sin.2  He  who  wishes  not  to  admit 
the  enemy  into  the  fortress,  should  lock  the  gate.  The 
Abbot  Pastor  was  molested  by  bad  thoughts  for  forty 
years  after  having  looked  at  a  woman.  In  consequence 
of  having  seen  a  woman  in  the  world,  St.  Benedict  was 
afterwards  so  strongly  tempted,  that  to  conquer  the 
flesh  he  threw  himself  naked  among  thorns,  and  thus 
overcame  the  temptations.  While  he  lived  in  the  cave 
of  Bethlehem,  St.  Jerome  was  for  a  long  time  troubled 
with  bad  thoughts  on  account  of  having  formerly  seen 
certain  women  in  Rome.  These  saints  conquered  temp 
tations  by  the  divine  aid,  by  prayers  and  penitential 
works;  but  many  others,  on  account  of  the  eyes,  have 
miserably  fallen.  On  account  of  the  eyes  a  David  fell; 
on  account  of  the  eyes  a  Solomon  fell.  Listen  to  an 
alarming  fact  related  by  St.  Augustine  of  Alipius.  He 
went  to  the  theatre,  resolved  not  to  look  at  any  danger 
ous  object,  saying,  "  I  will  be  absent  though  present;"5 
but  being  tempted  to  look,  he,  says  the  saint,  not  only 
prevaricated,  but  also  made  others  prevaricate:  "He 
opened  his  eyes,  applauded,  became  excited,  and  left  the 
theatre  carrying  sin  with  him."^ 

Seneca  justly  said  that  blindness  is  a  great  help  to 
preserve  innocence.5  It  is  not  lawful  to  pull  out  our 
eyes,  but  we  ought  to  make  ourselves  blind  by  closing 
the  eyes,  and  by  not  looking  at  objects  which  may  im 
pel  us  to  evil:  He  .  .  .  that  shutteth  his  eyes  that  he  may 

1  "  Exordia  sunt  maximarum  iniquitatum." 

2  "  Oculi,  quasi  quidam  raptores  ad  culpam." — In  Lam.  3. 

3  "  Adero  absens." 

"  Spectavit,   clamavit,   exarsit;  abstulit    inde    secum    insaniam." — 
Conf.  1.  6,  c.  8. 
6  "  Pars  innocentiae,  caecitas." — DC  Rented,  fort. 


INSTR.  ix.]          Exterior  Mortification.  369 

see  no  evil,  he  shall  dwell  on  high.1  Hence  Job  said  that 
he  had  made  a  covenant  with  his  eyes  never  to  look  at 
a  woman,  lest  he  should  be  afterwards  molested  by  bad 
thoughts:  /  made  a  covenant  with  my  eyes,  that  I  would  not 
so  much  as  think  upon  a  virgin?1  St.  Aloysius  Gonzaga 
never  dared  to  raise  his  eyes  to  look  at  his  mother.  St. 
Peter  of  Alcantara  abstained  from  looking  even  at  his 
brothers  in  religion:  he  knew  them  not  by  the  sight,  but 
by  the  voice. 

The  Council  of  Tours  tells  priests  that  they  should 
guard  against  everything  that  can  offend  the  eyes  or  the 
ears.3  But  particular  caution  is  necessary  for  secular 
priests,  who  frequent  public  places,  or  the  houses  of 
seculars.  If  they  permit  the  eye  to  look  at  every  object 
that  is  presented  to  them,  they  shall  scarcely  preserve 
chastity.  Turn  away  thy  face,  says  the  Holy  Ghost, 
from  a  woman  dressed  up,  .  .  .  for  many  have  perished  by 
the  beauty  of  a  woman.1'  And,  says  St.  Augustine,  should 
the  eyes  happen  sometimes  to  fall  on  a  woman,  let  us 
take  care  never  to  fix  them  on  her.5  Hence  it  is  neces 
sary  to  abstain  from  going  to  balls,  or  profane  come 
dies,  which  are  frequented  by  men  and  women;  and 
when  through  necessity  a  priest  is  obliged  to  go  to  a 
place  in  which  there  are  women,  he  must  pay  special 
attention  to  modesty  of  the  eyes.  Father  Alvarez  was 
once  present  at  a  public  degradation  of  a  priest,  but  be 
cause  there  were  women  present,  he  held  in  his  hand  an 

1  "  Qui  claudit  oculos  suos  ne  videat  malum,  iste  in  excelsis  habi- 
tabit." — Is  a.  xxxiii.  15. 

J  "  Pepigi  foedus  cum  oculis  meis,  ut  ne  cogitarem  quidem  de  vir- 
gine." — Job,  xxxi.  i. 

3"Ab  omnibus  quaecunque  ad  aurium  ct  ad  oculorum  pertinent 
illecebras,  Dei  Sacerdotes  abstinere  debent." — Anno  813,  can.  7. 

' '  Averte  faciem  tuam  a  muliere  compta,  et  ne  circumspicias  speciem 
alienam;  propter  speciem  mulieris,  multi  perierunt." — Ecclns.  ix.  8. 

5  "  Oculi  vestri,  etsi  jaciuntur  in  aliquam,  figantur  in  nullam." — Reg. 
ad  serv.  D .  n.  6. 
24 


370  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  on  which  he  kept  his  eyes 
constantly  fixed  for  several  hours,  lest  they  might  fall 
on  a  woman.  From  the  moment  we  awake  in  the  morn 
ing,  let  us  pray  with  David:  Turn  away  my  eyes,  that  they 
may  not  behold  vanity.1 

Oh!  how  profitable  is  it  to  us  ecclesiastics,  and  how 
edifying  to  others,  to  keep  the  eyes  cast  down!  St. 
Francis  once  said  to  his  companion,  that  he  wished  to 
go  out  in  order  to  preach  a  sermon:  he  went  out  and 
walked  through  the  village  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
ground.  After  they  had  returned,  his  companion  asked 
when  he  intended  to  preach  the  sermon.  The  saint  re 
plied:  We  have  already  preached  by  the  modesty  with 
which  we  walked  before  the  people.  A  certain  author 
remarks  that  the  Evangelists,  in  order  to  show  that  he 
ordinarily  kept  them  cast  down,  mention  in  several 
places  that  our  Redeemer  raised  his  eyes:  Lifting  iip  His 
eyes  on  His  disciples?  When  Jesus  had  lifted  up  His  eyes? 
Hence  St.  Paul  has  praised  the  modesty  of  Jesus  Christ, 
saying:  I  beseech  you  by  the  mildness  and  mode  sty  of  Christ? 

St.  Basil  says  that  we  should  keep  the  eyes  cast  down 
upon  the  earth  and  the  soul  raised  up  to  heaven.5  And 
St.  Jerome  has  written,  that  the  countenance  is  the  mir 
ror  of  the  soul,  and  that  chaste  eyes  indicate  a  chaste 
heart."  But,  on  the  other  hand,  St.  Augustine  says: 
"The  immodesty  of  the  eyes  betrays  the  vices  of  the 
heart."  7  St.  Ambrose  adds,  that  the  motions  of  the  body 

1  "  Averte  oculos  meos,  ne  videant  vanitatem." — Ps.  cxviii.  37. 

2  "  Elevatis  oculis  in  discipulos  suos." — Lttke,  vi.  20. 

3  "Cum  sublevasset  ergo  oculos  Jesus."— John.,  vi.  5. 

4  "  Obsecro  vos  per  mansuetudinem  et  modestiam  Christi." — 2  Cor. 
x.  i. 

5  "  Oportet  oculos  habere  ad  terram  dejectas,  animam  vero  ad  cce- 
lum  erectam." — Scrm.  de  A  see  si. 

6  "  Speculum  mentis  est  fades,  et  taciti  oculi  cordis  fatentur  arcana." 
— Ep .  ad  Fu  ria  m . 

1  "  Impudicus  oculus  irnpudici  cordis  est  nuntius." — J?eg.  ad  serv. 
D.  n.  6. 


INSTR.  ix.]          Exterior  Mortification.  3  7 1 

show  the  recollection  or  dissipation  of  the  soul.1  Hence 
the  saint  relates  that  ,he  foreboded  the  fall  of  two  men 
on  account  of  the  irregularity  of  their  gait.  The  pre 
diction  was  verified;  for  one  fell  into  impiety,  and  the 
other  into  heresy.  Speaking  especially  of  men  whose 
character  is  sacred,  St.  Jerome  says  that  their  actions, 
language,  and  gesture  are  a  lesson  for  seculars.2 

The  Council  of  Trent  has  said:  "  They  ought  by  all 
means  so  to  regulate  their  whole  life  and  conversation, 
as  that  in  their  dress,  comportment,  gait,  discourse,  and 
all  things  else,  nothing  appear  but  what  is  grave,  regu 
lated,  and  replete  with  religiousness."2  And  St.  John 
Chrysostom  has  written:  "  The  mind  of  the  priest  should 
be  resplendent  with  virtues,  that  it  may  enlighten  those 
that  look  up  to  him."  '  Thus  the  priest  ought  to  give 
to  all  an  example  of  modesty  in  all  things:  modesty  in 
looks,  modesty  in  his  gait,  modesty  in  his  conversation, 
particularly  by  saying  little,  and  by  speaking  as  a  priest 
ought  to  speak.  By  saying  little. — He  who  speaks  much 
to  men,  shows  that  he  converses  but  little  with  God. 
Men  of  prayer  are  men  of  few  words.  When  the  mouth 
of  the  furnace  is  opened,  the  heat  rushes  out.  "  In 
silence,"  says  Thomas  a  Kempis,  "  the  soul  maketh  prog 
ress."  5  And  St.  Peter  Damian  calls  silence  the  guardian 
of  justice."  We  read  in  Isaias:  In  silence  and  in  hope 
shall  your  strength  be."1  In  silence  consists  our  strength, 

1  "  Vox  quaedam  est  animi,  corporis  motus." — Offic.  1.  I,  c.  18. 
'2  "Quorum  habitus,  sermo,  vultus,  incessus,  doctrina  virtutum  est." 
— Ep.  ad  Rusticum. 

3  "  Sic  decet  omnino  clericos  vitam  moresque  suos  componere,  ut 
habitu,  gestu,  incessu,  nil  nisi  grave  ac  religione  plenum  prse  se  fer- 
ant." — Sess.  22,  de  Ref.  c.  i. 

4  "  Sacerdotis   animum   splendescere   oportet,  ut  illustrare  possit, 
qui  oculos  in  eum  conjiciunt." — De  Sacei'd.  1.  3. 

5  "  In  silentio  proficit  anima." — De  Imit.  1.  i,  c.  20. 

6  "  Gustos  justitiae,  silentium." — Ep.  1.  7,  ep.  6. 

7  "  In  silentio  et  in  spe  erit  fortitude  vestra." — Isa.  xxx.  15. 


372  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

for  in  speaking  much  there  is  always  some  defect.  In 
the  multitude  of  words  there  shall  not  want  sin,  says  Solo 
mon.1  By  speaking  as  a  priest  ought  to  speak,  St. 
Anselm  says,  "  Thy  mouth  must  be  the  mouth  of  Christ: 
and  thou  shouldst  not  only  not  open  it  for  calumnies  or 
lies,  but  not  even  for  idle  discourse."2  He  who  loves 
God  seeks  to  speak  always  of  God.  He  who  loves  a 
fellow-man  can  scarcely  speak  of  anything  else  than  of 
him.  "  Forget  not,"  says  Gilbert,  "  that  thy  mouth  is 
consecrated  only  to  heavenly  sayings,  and  look  upon 
it  as  sacrilegious  if  something  comes  forth  from  it  that 
is  not  divine."3  It  is,  according  to  St.  Ambrose,  a 
violation  of  modesty  to  speak  in  a  very  loud  tone.4  It 
belongs  to  modesty  to  abstain,  not  only  from  immodest 
words,  but  also  from  listening  to  them:  Hedge  in  thy 
ears  with  thorns,  hear  not  a  wicked  tongue?  A  priest  should 
be  modest  also  in  his  dress.  St.  Augustine  says  that 
in  order  to  appear  well  dressed  exteriorly,  some  strip 
themselves  of  interior  modesty.6  Vanity  and  costliness 
of  dress  in  a  priest  show  that  there  is  but  little  virtue 
in  the  soul.  St.  Bernard  writes:  "  The  poor  cry  out  to 
thee:  To  us  belongs  what  you  waste;  from  our  neces 
sities  is  withdrawn  what  you  bestow  upon  vanities." 
In  the  i6th  Canon  of  the  second  Council  of  Nice  we 

1  "  In  multiloquio  non  deerit  peccatum." — Prov.  x.  19. 
*  "  Os  tuum,  os  Christi;  non  debes,  non  dico,  ad  detractiones,  ad 
mendacia,  sed  nee  ad  otiosos  sermones  os  aperire." — Medit.  i,  §  5. 

3  "Memento,  os  tuum  coelestibus  oraculis  consecratum;  sacrilegium 
puta,  si  quid  non  divinum  sonet." — In  Cant.  s.  18. 

4  "  Vocis  sonum  libret  modestia,  ne  cujusquam  offendat  aurem  vox 
fortior." — Offic.  1.  i,  c.  18. 

6  "  Sepi  aures  tuas  spinis,  linguam  nequam  noli  audire." — Ecchis. 
xxviii.  28. 

6  "  Ut  foris  vestiaris,  intus  exspoliaris." — Sertn.  60,  E,  B. 

1  "  Clamant  nudi,  etdicunt:  Nostrum  est,  quod  effunditis;  nostris 
necessitatibus  detrahitur,  quidquid  accedit  vanitatibus  vestris." — De 
Mor.  et  Off.  Ep.  c.  2. 


INSTR.  ix.]         Exterior  Mortification.  373 

read:  "A  priest  should  wear  simple  garments,  for  what 
goes  beyond  what  is  necessary  is  luxury,  and  this  vanity 
will  be  imputed  to  him  as  a  crime."  The  priest  ought 
to  be  modest  in  his  hair.  Pope  Martin  ordained  that 
ecclesiastics  should  not  minister  in  the  church  unless 
their  head  was  shorn  so  that  the  ears  would  be  visible.2 
What  shall  we  say  of  those  whom  Clement  of  Alex 
andria  calls  "  illiberales  tonsos,"  3  that  is,  persons  who 
are  so  much  attached  to  their  hair  that  they  allow  it  to 
be  cut  only  sparingly.  What  a  shame,  says  St.  Cyprian, 
for  an  ecclesiastic  to  appear  with  his  head  decked  out 
like  the  head  of  a  woman.4  And  before  him  the  Apos 
tle,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  said,  that  to 
nourish  the  hair  is  as  disgraceful  in  a  man  as  it  is  be 
coming  in  a  woman:  A  man  indeed  if  he  nourish  his  hair, 
it  is  a  shame  unto  him?  And  this  he  said  of  all,  even  of 
seculars.  What,  then,  must  we  think  of  the  ecclesiastic 
who  curls  his  hair  and  arranges  it  in  a  worldly  fashion  ? 
Minutius  Felix  says  that  we  ought  to  show  ourselves 
to  be  ecclesiastics,  not  by  the  ornaments  of  the  body, 
but  by  examples  of  modesty.6  St.  Ambrose  has  writ 
ten,  that  the  deportment  of  a  priest  should  be  such 
that  all  who  behold  him  may  be  inspired  with  reverence 
for  God,  whose  priest  and  minister  he  is.7  But,  on  the 

1  "Virum  sacerdotalem  cum  moderate  indumento  versari  debere; 
et  quidquid,  non  propter  usum,  sed  ostentatorium  ornatum,  assumi- 
tur,  in  nequitise  reprehensionem  incurrere." — Can.  16. 

2  "  Nisi  attonso  capite,  patentibus  auribus." 

3  "  Illiberali  tonsu  se  tondentes." — Padag.  1.  3,  c.  3. 

4  "  Capillis  muliebribus  se  in   feminas  transfigurant. " — DC  Jej.  ct 
Tent.  Christi. 

5<<Vir  quidem,  si   comam    nutriat,  ignominia  est  illi." — i  Cor.  xi. 
14. 

6  "  Nos,  non  notaculo  corporis,  sed  innocentiae  ac  modestise  signo, 
facile  dignoscimus." — Octav.  c.  9. 

7  "  Decet  actuum  nostrorum  esse  publicam  aestimationem,  ut,  qui 
videt  ministrum  altaris  congruis  ornatum  virtutibus,  Dominum  vene- 
retur,  qui  tales  servulos  habeat." — Ojfic.  1.  i,  c.  50. 


3  74  Material  for  Instructions.         [PART  n. 

other    hand,    a    priest    who   violates    modesty    excites 
irreverence  towards  God. 


2.   THE  TASTE  OR  APPETITE. 

We  shall  now  speak  on  the  mortification  of  the  taste 
or  of  the  appetite.  In  his  treatise  entitled  The  One 
Thing  Necessary,  Father  Rogacci  says,  that  the  principal 
part  of  external  mortification  consists  in  the  mortification 
of  the  appetite.  Hence  St.  Andrew  Avellino  used  to 
say,  that  he  who  wishes  to  walk  in  the  way  of  perfection 
must  begin  to  mortify  the  taste.  St.  Leo  asserts  that 
this  has  been  the  practice  of  the  saints.1  To  a  penitent 
who  practised  but  little  mortification  St.  Philip  Neri 
said,  "  My  son,  unless  you  mortify  the  appetite  you  shall 
never  become  a  saint."2  St.  Francis  Xavier  used  to  eat 
nothing  but  a  few  grains  of  toasted  rice.  St.  John 
Francis  Regis  took  only  a  little  coarse  flower  boiled  in 
water.  St.  Francis  Borgia,  even  when  a  secular,  and 
viceroy  of  Catalonia,  was  content  with  bread  and  herbs. 
The  food  of  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara  was  nothing  more 
than  a  small  quantity  of  broth. 

St.  Francis  de  Sales  says  that  we  ought  to  eat  in  order 
to  support  life,  and  not  live  for  the  purpose  of  eating. 
Some  appear  to  live  for  the  sole  purpose  of  eating,  mak 
ing,  as  the  Apostle  said,  the  belly  their  God:  They  are 
enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ;  whose  end  is  destruction,  whose 
God  is  their  belly?  Tertullian  says  that  the  vice  of 
gluttony  kills,  or  at  least  inflicts  a  deep  wound,  on  all 
other  virtues.4  The  sin  of  gluttony  has  caused  the  ruin 

1  "  Tyrocinium  militise  christianae  sanctis  jejuniis  inchoarunt." — DC 
Jejun.  Pent.  s.  i. 

2  Bacci,  1.  2,  ch.  14. 

3  "  Inimicos  crucis  Christi,  quorum   finis  interitus,   quorum  deus 
venter  est." — Phil.  iii.  18. 

4  "  Omnem  disciplinam  victus    aut   occidit   aut  vulnerat." — De  Je- 
iunio. 


INSTR.  ix.]          Exterior  Mortification.  375 

of  the  world:  for  the  sake  of  eating  an   apple,  Adam 
brought  death  on  himself  and  the  entire  human  race. 

But  priests,  who  are  bound  by  a  vow  of  chastity, 
should  pay  special  attention  to  the  mortification  of  the 
appetite.  St.  Bonaventure  says  that  excess  in  eating 
nourishes  impurity.1  And  St.  Augustine  has  written: 
"  If  the  soul  is  weighed  down  by  too  much  food,  the 
mind  becomes  torpid,  and  there  will  spring  up  thorns  of 
wicked  desires,"  2  Hence  in  the  forty-second  Canon  of 
the  Apostles  we  read:  "Those  priests  are  to  be  deposed 
that  are  given  excessively  to  good  cheer."  ;  The  Wise 
Man  has  said,  that  he  who  accustoms  servants  to  deli 
cate  food  shall  not  find  them  obedient  to  his  commands: 
He  that  nourishes  a  servant  delicately  from  his  childhood, 
afterwards  shall  find  him  stubborn*  St.  Augustine  exhorts 
us  not  to  give  the  flesh  strength  to  fight  against  the 
soul.*  Palladius  relates  that  a  certain  monk  being  asked 
why  he  treated  his  body  so  badly,  said:  "  I  trouble  him 
that  troubles  me."6  St.  Paul  has  done  and  said  the 
same.  /  chastise  my  body,  and  bring  it  into  subjection.''  If 
the  flesh  is  not  mortified,  it  obeys  reason  only  with  diffi 
culty.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  according  to  St.  Thomas, 
the  devil,  when  vanquished  in  his  temptations  to  the  in 
dulgence  of  the  appetite,  ceases  to  tempt  to  impurity.8 
Cornelius  a  Lapide  says  that  when  intemperance  is 

1  "  Luxuria  nutritur  a  ventris  ingluvie." — De  Prof.  rel.  1.  2,  c.  52. 

2  "  Si  ciborum  nimietate  anima  obruatur,  illico  mens  torpescit,  et 
corporis  nostri  terra  spinas  libidinum  germinabit." — Serm.  141,  E.  B. 
app. 

3  "  Sacerdotes  qui  intemperanter  ingurgitant,  deponendi  sunt." 

4  "  Qui  delicate  a  pueritia  nutrit  servum  suum,  postea  sentiet  eum 
contumacem." — Prov.  xxix.  21. 

5  "  Ne   praebeamus  vires   corpori,  ne   committat   bellum    adversus 
spiritum." — DC  Sal.  docum.  c.  35. 

6  "  Vexo  eum  qui  vexat  me  " — Vit.  S.  M.  c.  7. 

7  "  Castigo  corpus  meum,  et  in  servitutem  redigo." — I  Cor.  ix.  27. 

8  "  Diabolus,  victus  de  gula,  non  tentat  de  libidine." 


376  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

overcome,  all  other  vices  are  easily  conquered.'  Blosius 
remarks  that  many  find  it  easier  to  conquer  other  vices 
than  the  vice  of  intemperance.2 

But  some  may  say  God  has  purposely  created  the 
various  kinds  of  food  that  we  may  enjoy  them.  I 
answer,  God  has  created  them  that  they  may  serve  for 
the  support  of  life,  but  not  to  be  abused  by  intemper 
ance.  There  are  some  delicious  meats  that  are  not  neces 
sary  for  the  support  of  life;  these  God  has  created,  that 
by  sometimes  abstaining  from  them  we  may  practise 
mortification.  God  created  the  apple  that  he  forbade 
Adam  to  eat,  that  Adam  might  abstain  from  it.  Let  us 
at  least  practise  temperance  in  the  use  of  delicacies. 

To  practise  temperance,  St.  Bonaventure  says  that 
we  must  avoid  four  things:  first,  eating  out  of  the  time 
of  meals,  as  animals  do;  secondly,  eating  with  too  much 
avidity,  like  famished  dogs;  thirdly,  eating  too  large  a 
quantity,  of  food;  and  fourthly,  we  must  avoid  too  much 
delicacy.3  What  a  shame  to  see  a  priest  seeking  a 
variety  of  meats,  dressed  in  various  ways,  and  giving 
trouble  and  annoyance  to  servants,  and  to  the  whole 
house,  when  everything  is  not  prepared  so  as  to  please 
his  taste.  Fervent  priests  are  satisfied  with  what  is 
placed  before  them. 

Reflect  on  the  words  of  St.  Jerome:  "  The  cleric  can 
not  easily  escape  contempt  if  he  frequently  accepts 
invitations  to  dinner."'  Hence  exemplary  priests  fly 

1  "  Gula  debellata,  christianus  facilius  caeteravitia  profligabit." — In 
I  Cor.  ix.  2J. 

2  "  Ingluvies    a    plerisque    superari    difficilius   solet,    quam    caetera 
vitia." — Enchir.  parv.  1.  i,  doc.  n. 

3  "  i.   Ante   debitum  tempus,  vel   saepius   quam  deceat,  comedere, 
praeter  necessitatem,  more  pecudum.     2.  Cum  nimia  aviditate,  sicut 
canes  famelici.      3.   Nimis  se  implere  ex  delectatione.     4.   Nimis  ex- 
quisita  quaerere." — De  Prof.  rcl.  1.  i,  c.  36. 

4  "  Facile  contemnitur  clericus  qui,  saepe  vocatus  ad  prandium,  ire 
non  recusat." — Ep.  ad  Ntpot, 


INSTR.  ix.]         Exterior  Mortification.  377 

from  banquets,  in  which,  ordinarily  speaking,  there  is  a 
want  of  modesty  and  of   temperance.     "  Lay  people,"  ' 
adds  the  holy  Doctor,  "  would  rather  enjoy  our  consola 
tions  in  their  trials    than   our   presence  at  their  ban 
quets."  ' 

3.  THE  TOUCH. 

Thirdly,  with  regard  to  the  sense  of  touch,  it  is  neces 
sary,  in  the  first  place,  to  abstain  from  familiarity  with 
persons  of  the  opposite  sex,  even  though  they  are  rela 
tives.  You  will  say:  They  are  my  sisters,  my  nieces; 
yes,  but  they  are  women. 

With  regard  to  this  sense  (which  is  very  dangerous 
for  priests),  they  must  use  all  possible  caution  and  mod 
esty  with  themselves.  Everyone  of  you,  says  St.  Paul, 
should  know  how  to  possess  his  vessel  in  sanctification  and 
honor,  .  .  .  not  in  the  passion  of  lust? 

Holy  priests  are  accustomed  to  practise  some  painful 
penitential  works,  such  as  the  discipline,  or  the  use  of 
little  chains.  Some  despise  these  things,  saying  that 
sanctity  consists  in  the  mortification  of  the  will.  But  I 
find  that  all  the  saints  have  thirsted  after  penitential 
austerities,  and  have  sought  to  macerate  the  flesh  to  the 
utmost  of  their  power.  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara  wore  a 
hair-shirt  of  punched  iron,  which  kept  his  shoulders 
constantly  lacerated.  St.  John  of  the  Cross  wore  a 
waistcoat  armed  with  iron  points,  and  an  iron  chain, 
which  could  not  be  removed  after  his  death  without 
taking  with  it  a  piece  of  the  flesh.  This  saint  used  to 
say  that  a  person  who  should  teach  lax  doctrine  re 
garding  the  mortification  of  the  flesh  ought  not  to  be 
believed,  even  though  he  confirmed  it  by  miracles.3 

1  "  Consolatores   nos  potius  (laici)  in    moeroribus  suis,  quam  con- 
vivas  in  prosperis,  noverint." 

2  "  Sciat  unusquisque  vestrum  vas  suum  possidere  in  sanctificatione 
et  honore,  non  in  passione  desiderii." — I   J^hess.  iv.  4. 

3  Sent.  72. 


3  78  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

It  is  true  that  interior  mortification  is  the  most  neces 
sary;  but  exterior  mortification  is  also  indispensable. 
To  a  person  who  wished  to  dissuade  him  from  macer 
ating  his  body,  by  saying  that  sanctity  consists  in  con 
quering  self-will,  St.  Aloysius  Gonzaga  replied,  in  the 
words  of  the  Gospel:  These  things  you  ought  to  have  done, 
and  not  leave  those  undone.1  To  Mother  Mary  of  Jesus, 
of  the  Order  of  St.  Teresa,  our  Lord  said  the  world  is 
destroyed  not  by  penitential  works,  but  by  pleasures. 

"  Mortify  your  body  and  you  will  conquer  the  devil 
says  St.  Augustine.2  The  remedy  of  the  saints,  particu 
larly  in  temptations  against  purity,  was  the  maceration 
of  the  flesh.  In  temptations  contrary  to  chastity,  St. 
Benedict  and  St.  Francis  rolled  themselves  among 
thorns.  Father  Rodriguez  says,  "  If  a  person  had  en 
twined  round  him  a  serpent,  which  by  its  poisoned 
bites  would  seek  to  kill  him,  surely  if  he  could  not  take 
away  its  life  he  would  at  least  endeavor  to  draw  its 
blood  and  diminish  its  strength,  in  order  to  render  it 
less  able  to  injure  him." 

Job  tells  us  that  wisdom  is  not  found  among  earthly 
delights:  Man  knoweth  not  the  price  thereof,  neither  is  it 
found  in  the  land  of  them  that  live  in  delights*  In  one 
place  the  Spouse  in  the  Canticles  said  that  he  dwells 
on  the  mountain  of  myrrh:  /  will  go  to  the  mountain  of 
myrrh;*  and  in  another,  that  he  feeds  among  the  lilies: 
Who  feedeth  among  the  lilies?  In  reconciling  these  two 
passages,  Philibert  says  that  on  the  mountain  of  myrrh, 
where  the  flesh  is  mortified,  the  lilies  of  purity  spring 

1  "  Haec  oportuit  facere,  et  ilia  non  omittere." — Matth.  xxiii.  23. 

2  "  Mortifica  corpus  tuum,  et  diabolum  vinces." 

3  "  Nescit  homo  pretium  ejus,  nee  invenitrr  in  terra  suaviter  viven- 
tium."— Job,  xxviii.  13. 

4  "  Vadam  ad  montem  myrrhae." — Cant.  iv.  6. 
6  "  Qui  pascitur  inter  lilia." — Cant.  ii.  16. 


INSTR.  ix.j         Exterior  Mortification.  379 

up  and  flourish.1  Should  a  person  have  ever  violated 
chastity,  reason  requires  that  he  should  afterwards 
chastise  the  flesh:  For  as  you  have  yielded  your  members  to 
serve  uncleanness  and  iniquity  unto  iniquity,  so  now  yield 
your  members  to  serve  justice  unto  sanctification? 

4.  INVOLUNTARY  MORTIFICATIONS. 

If  we  have  not  courage  to  mortify  the  flesh  by  works 
of  penance,  let  us  at  least  endeavor  to  accept  with 
patience  the  mortifications  arising  from  the  infirmities, 
the  heat  and  cold,  that  God  sends  us.  St.  Francis  Bor 
gia  once  arrived  late  at  a  college  of  the  Order,  and  was 
obliged  to  remain  all  night  in  the  open  air,  exposed  to 
the  cold  and  snow.  In  the  morning  the  Fathers  of 
the  college  were  afflicted  at  what  had  happened;  but 
the  saint  said  he  was  greatly  consoled  by  thinking  that 
God  had  sent  the  wind,  the  frost,  and  snow.  "  Hasten, 
O  Lord,"  says  St.  Bonaventure,  "  hasten  to  wound  Thy 
servants  with  Thy  sacred  wounds,  lest  they  be  wounded 
by  deadly  wounds  of  vice."1  This  we,  too,  should  say 
when  we  are  afflicted  with  sickness  and  pains:  Lord, 
chastise  me  with  these  healing  wounds,  that  I  may  be 
freed  from  the  deadly  wounds  of  the  flesh;  or  let  us 
say  with  St.  Bernard:  "It  is  just  that  he  should  be 
bowed  down  and  become  sad  who  has  despised  Thee,  O 
Lord!'"  Yes,  my  God,  it  is  just  that  I  who  have  in 
sulted  you  should  suffer  affliction:  I  have  been  con- 

1  "  Lilia  haec  oriuntur  in  monte  myrrhae,  et  nusquam  magis  illsesa 
servantur:  ubi  carnis  mortificantur  affectus,  ibi  lilia  castimonise 
nascuntur  et  florent." — In  Cant.  s.  28. 

5  "  Sicut  enim  exhibuistis  membra  vestra  servire  immunditiae  et 
iniquitati  ad  iniquitatem,  ita  nunc  exhibete  membra  vestra  servire 
justitiae  in  sanctificationem." — Rom.  vi.  19. 

3  "Curre,  Domine,  curre,  et  vulnera  servos  tuos  vulneribus  sacris, 
ne  vulnerentur  vulneribus  mortis." 

4  "  Conteratur   contemptor    Dei;    si   recte   sentis,   dices:  Reus  est 
mortis,  crucifigatur." — Medit   c.  15. 


3  80  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

demned  to  eternal  death;  let  me,  then,  be  crucified  in 
this  life,  that  I  may  not  be  tormented  for  eternity  in  the 
next. 

Let  us  at  least  bear  the  pains  that  God  sends  us.  A 
certain  author  well  observes,  that  a  person  who  does  not 
embrace  voluntary  pains  will  scarcely  bear  involuntary 
sufferings  with  perfect  patience.  And,  on  the  other 
hand,  St.  Anselm  says:  "  God  will  cease  to  chastise  the 
sinner  who  voluntarily  punishes  himself  for  his  sins."1 

III. 
The  Good  that  is  derived  from  a  Mortified  Life. 

Some  imagine  that  a  life  of  mortification  is  an  un 
happy  life.  No:  the  life  of  the  man  who  practises 
mortification  is  not  unhappy;  but  the  life  of  him  who 
indulges  his  senses  so  as  to  offend  God  is  truly  miser 
able:  Who  hath  resisted  Him,  and  hath  had  peace  ?  2  A  soul 
in  sin  is  a  sea  agitated  by  the  tempest:  The  wicked  are 
like  the  raging  sea,  which  cannot  rest?  St.  Augustine  says 
that  the  man  who  is  not  in  peace  with  God  is  an  enemy 
that  wages  war  against  himself.4  The  gratifications 
that  we  give  the  body  fight  against  us,  and  make  us  un 
happy:  From  whence  are  wars  and  contentions  amongst 
you  ?  Are  they  not  hence-  from  your  concupiscences,  which 
war  in  your  members  ?  B 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Lord  says:  To  him  that  ovcr- 
cometh,  I  will  give  the  hidden  manna?  To  them  who  prac- 

1  "  Cessat   vindicta  divina,  si  conversio  praecurrat   humana." — In 
i  Cor.  ii. 

2  "  Quis  restitit  ei,  et  pacem  habuit  ?" — Job,  ix.  4. 

3  "  Impii  autem,  quasi  mare  fervens,  quod  quiescere  non  potest."— 
Isa.  Ivii.  20. 

4  "  Ipse  sibi  est  bellum,  qui   pacem   noluit   habere   cum    Deo." — 
Enarr.  in  Ps.  75. 

6  "  Unde  bella  et  lites  in  vobis  ?  nonne  hinc,  ex  concupiscentiis 
vestris,  quae  militant  in  membris  vestris  ?" — James,  iv.  i. 
6  "  Vincenti  dabo  manna  absconditum." — Apoc.  ii.  17. 


INSTR.  ix.i          Exterior  Mortification.  381 

tise  mortification  God  gives  that  sweetness  and  peace 
that  are  hidden  from  the  unmortified,  and  that  surpass 
all  sensual  pleasures:  The  peace  of  God,  which  surpasseth 
all  under  st~nding}  Hence  they  who  live  dead  to  earthly 
delights  are  pronounced  happy:  Blessed  are  the  dead  who 
die  in  the  Lord?  Worldlings  regard  as  miserable  the  life 
of  those  who  live  at  a  distance  from  sensual  gratifica 
tions.  They  see  the  Cross,  but  not  its  interior  unction?  says 
St.  Bernard;  they  see  the  mortifications  of  the  saints,  but 
not  the  interior  consolations  with  which  God  caresses 
them,  even  in  this  life.  The  promises  of  God  cannot 
fail:  Take  up  My  yoke  upon  you,  .  .  .  and  you  shall  find  rest 
to  your  souls."  Ah!  the  soul  that  loves  God  suffers  not 
in  her  mortifications.  He  who  loves,  finds  nothing  diffi 
cult,  says  St.  Augustine/  "  Love,"  says  a  certain  author, 
"  blushes  at  the  word  difficulty."  '  As  nothing  resists 
death,  so  nothing  resists  love:  Love  is  as  strong  as  death? 
If  we  wish  to  acquire  eternal  delights,  we  must  de 
prive  ourselves  of  temporal  pleasures:  He  that  will  save 
his  life  shall  lose  it?  Hence  St.  Augustine  says:  "  Be 
ware  of  enjoying  yourself  in  this  life,  lest  you  suffer 
eternally."8  St.  John  saw  all  the  saints  with  palms  in 
their  hands.10  To  be  saved,  we  must  all  be  martyrs, 
either  by  the  sword  of  the  tyrant  or  by  voluntary 
mortification.  Let  us  reflect  that  all  we  suffer  is  nothing 

"  Pax  Dei,  quse  exsuperat  omnem  sensum." — Phil.  iv.  7. 

2  "  Beati  mortui,  qui  in  Domino  moriuntur." — Apoc.  xiv.  13. 

3  "  Crucem  videntes,  sed  non  etiam  unctionem." — In  Dedic.  s.  I. 

4  "  Tollite   jugum    meum    super   vos,   .   .   .  et   invenietis    requiem 
animabus  vestris." — Matth.  xi.  29. 

5  "Qui  amat,  non  laborat." — In  Jo.  tr.  48. 

6  "Amor,  difficultatis  nomen  erubescit." — Lign.  v.  de  Char.  c.  4. 

7  "  Fortis  est  ut  mors  dilectio." — Cant.  viii.  6. 

8  "  Qui  enim  voluerit  animam  salvam  facere,  perdet  earn." — Matth. 
xvi.  25. 

9  "  Noli  amare  in  hac  vita,  ne  perdas  in  aeterna  vita." — In  Jo.  tr.  51. 

10  "  Stantes  ante  thronum,  .  .  .  et   palrrue  in   manibus    eorum." — 
Apoc.  vii.  9. 


382  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

compared  with  the  eternal  glory  which  awaits  us:  The 
sufferings  of  this  time  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the 
glory  to  come,  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us?  The  transitory 
pains  of  this  life  shall  merit  for  us  eternal  beatitude:  For 
that  which  is  at  present  momentary  and  light  of  our  tribulation, 
worketh  for  us  above  measure  exceedingly  an  eternal  weight  of 
glory?  Hence  Philo  the  Jew  has  written:  "  The  pleas 
ures  which  we  give  the  body  to  the  detriment  of  the 
soul  are  thefts  of  the  glory  of  heaven,  which  we  com 
mit  against  ourselves."'  On  the  other  hand,  St.  John 
Chrysostom  says  that  when  God  gives  us  an  occasion  of 
suffering,  he  bestows  a  greater  grace  than  if  he  gave  us 
power  to  restore  life  to  the  dead.4  He  assigns  the  rea 
son,  saying:  "  For  the  miracles  I  am  a  debtor  to  God, 
and  by  suffering  with  patience  I  have  Christ  as  my 
debtor."  The  saints  are  the  living  stones  that  com 
pose  the  heavenly  Jerusalem:  As  living  stones  built  up,  a 
spiritual  house!'  But  these  must  be  first  polished  by  the 
chisel  of  mortification,  as  is  sung  by  the  Church: 
' '  Many  a  blow  and  biting  sculpture 

Polished  well  those  stones  elect, 
In  their  places  now  compacted 

By  the  heavenly  Architect. "  7 

1  "  Non  sunt  condignse  passiones  hujus  temporis  ad  futuram  gloriam 
quae  revelabitur  innobis." — Rom.  viii.  18. 

8  "  Id  enim  quod  in  prsesenti  est  momentaneum  et  leve  tribulationis 
nostrse,  supra  modum  in  sublimitate  seternum  gloria  pondus  operatur 
in  nobis." — 2  Car.  iv.  17. 

3  "  Oblectamenta  praesentis  vitae,  quid  sunt,  nisi  furta  vitse  futurae?" 

4  "  Quando  Deus  dat  alicui  ut  mortuos  resuscitet,  minus  dat,  quam 
cum  dat  occasionem  patiendi." 

b  "  Pro  miraculis  enim,  debitor  sum  Deo;  ut  pro  patientia,  debitorem 
habes  Christum." — In  Phil.  horn.  4. 

6  "  Tamquam  lapides  vivi  superaxlificamini,  domus  spiritualis." — i 
Pet.  ii.  5. 

7  "Scalpri  salubris  ictibus, 

Et  tunsione  plurima, 
Fabri  polita  malleo, 
Hanc  saxa  molem  construunt." — Off.  Dcdic.  Eccl.  Hymn. 


INSTR.  ix.]         Exterior  Mortification.  383 

Hence  every  act  of  mortification  is  a  work  for  heaven. 
This  thought  will  sweeten  all  the  bitterness  we  shall 
feel  in  mortification:  The  just  man  liveth  by  faith.1  To 
live  well,  and  obtain  salvation,  we  must  live  by  faith, 
that  is,  in  view  of  the  eternity  which  awaits  us:  Man 
shall  go  into  the  house  of  his  eternity?  Let  us  consider, 
says  St.  Augustine,  that  at  the  very  time  when  the  Lord 
exhorts  us  to  combat  against  temptations,  he  assists  us, 
and  prepares  a  crown  for  us.3  Speaking  of  wrestlers, 
the  Apostle  said,  that  they  abstain  from  everything  that 
can  be  an  obstacle  to  their  winning  a  miserable  tem 
poral  crown;  how  much  more  ought  we  to  die  to  all 
things  in  order  to  acquire  an  infinite  and  eternal  crown: 
Every  one  that  strivcth  for  the  mastery  refraineth  himself 
from  all  things ;  and  they  indeed  that  they  may  receive  a 
corruptible  crown,  but  we  an  incorruptible  one." 

1  "  Justus  autem  ex  fide  vivit." — Rom.  i.  17. 

2  "  Quoniam  ibit  homo  in  domum  aeternitatis  suae." — Eccles.  xii.  5. 

3  "  Deus  hortatur  ut  pugnes,  et  deficientem  sublevat,  et  vincentem 
coronal." — In  Ps.  32,  enarr.  2. 

4  "  Omnis  autem  qui  in  agone  contendit,  ab  omnibus  se  abstinet;  et 
illi  quidem  utcorruptibilemcoronamaccipiant,  nos  autem  incorruptam." 
— i  Cor.  ix.  25. 


384  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 


INSTRUCTION  X, 

THE    LOVE    OF    GOD. 
I. 

Special  Obligation  for  the  Priest  to  belong  Entirely  to  God. 

PETER  DE  BLOIS  says  that  a  priest  without  divine 
love  "may  be  called  a  priest  but  is  not  a  priest."1 
From  the  day  of  his  ordination  a  priest  is  no  longer  his 
own,  but  belongs  to  God.  St.  Ambrose  has  said:  "A 
true  minister  of  the  altar  is  in  the  world  for  God  and  not 
for  himself."  2  And  before  him  God  himself  said:  They 
offer  the  burnt-offering  of  the  Lord,  and  the  bread  of  their 
God,  and  therefore  they  shall  be  holy:"  Origen  has  called  a 
priest  "a  being  consecrated  to  God."'  From  his  very 
entrance  into  the  ecclesiastical  state  the  priest  declared 
that  he  wished  for  no  other  portion  than  God.5  If, 
then,  adds  St.  Ambrose,  God  is  the  portion  of  the  priest, 
he  should  live  only  for  God.6  Hence  the  Apostle  has 
said,  that  he  who  is  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  divine 
majesty  should  not  engage  in  worldly  affairs,  but 
should  seek  only  to  please  him  to  whom  he  has  given 
himself:  No  man  being  a  soldier  to  God,  entangleth  himself 
with  secular  business;  that  he  may  please  Him  to  Whom  he 

1  "  Sacerdos  dici  potes,  esse  nonpotes." — Scrm.  41. 

2  "  Verus  minister  altaris  Deo,  non  sibi,  natusest." — In  Ps.  118,  s.  8. 

3  "  Incensum  enim  Domini  et  panes  Dei  sui  offerunt,  et  ideo  sancti 
erunt." — Levit.  xxi.  6. 

4  "  Mens  consecrata  Deo." — In  Lev.  horn.  15. 

5  "  Dominus  pars  hereditatis  meae. " 

6  "  Cui  Deus  portio  est,  nihil  debet  curare,  nisi  Deum." — De  Esau, 

C.   2. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  385 

hath  engaged  himself  }  Jesus  Christ  forbade  the  young 
man  who  wished  to  become  one  of  his  disciples  to  re 
turn  home  for  the  purpose  of  burying  his  father:  Fol 
low  Me,  and  let  the  dead  bury  the  dead?'  This  lesson  was, 
as  the  same  St.  Ambrose  writes,  directed  to  all  eccle 
siastics,  to  teach  them  that  it  is  their  duty  to  prefer 
the  concerns  of  the  divine  glory  to  all  human  affairs, 
which  may  be  an  obstacle  to  their  belonging  entirely  to 
God.3 

Even  in  the  Old  Law,  God  declared  to  the  priests 
that  he  had  chosen  them  from  among  the  people  that 
they  might  be  his  without  reserve.  Hence  he  told 
them  that  they  should  have  no  possession,  no  portion 
among  seculars,  because  he  himself  wished  to  be  their 
portion  and  inheritance:  You-  shall  possess  nothing  in  their 
land,  neither  shall  you  have  a  portion  among  them:  I  am  thy 
portion  and  inheritance  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of 
Israel?  On  this  passage  Oleaster  writes:  "  O  priest! 
understand  what  great  happiness  God  has  conferred 
upon  thee  by  wishing  to  have  thee  as  his  inheritance. 
And  what  can  be  wanting  to  thee  if  thou  possesses! 
God  ?" E  The  priest,  then,  should  say  with  St.  Augus 
tine:  "  Let  others  choose  for  their  portion  temporal 
things;  God  is  my  portion."' 

1  "  Nemo,    militans   Deo,    implicat    se  negotiis   ssecularibus,   ut  ei 
placeat,  cui  se  probavit." — 2  7'i?u.  ii.  4. 

2  "  Sequere    me,    et    dimitte    mortuos    sepelire    mortuos    suos." — 
Matth.  viii.  22. 

3  "Hie  paterni   funeris   sepultura  prohibetur,  ut    intelligas  humana 
posthabenda  divinis." — In  Luc.  c.  9. 

4  "  In  terra  eorum  nihil  possidebitis,  nee  habebitis  partem  inter  eos; 
ego  pars  et  hereditas  tua  in  medio  filiorum  Israel." — Num.  xviii.  20. 

5  "  Magna  dignatio  Domini,  si  earn,  Sacerdos,  cognoscas:  quod  velit 
Deus  esse  pars  tua.     Quid  non  habebis,  si  Deum  habeas  ?" 

6  "  Eligant  sibi  alii  partes,  quibus  fruantur,  terrenas  et  temporales; 
portio  sanctorum,  Dominus  aeternus  est.      Bibant  alii  mortiferas  volup- 
tates;  portio  calicis  mei,  Dominus  est." — Enarr^  in  Ps.  15. 

25 


386  Material  for  Instructions.          LPART  n. 

And,  says  St.  Anselm,  if  we  love  not  God,  what  shall 
we  love?1  The  Emperor  Diocletian  placed  before  St. 
Clement  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones,  in  order  to 
induce  him  to  deny  the  faith:  seeing  his  God  put  in 
comparison  with  a  little  dust,  the  saint  heaved  a  sigh  of 
sorrow:  But  one  thing  is  necessary?  He  who  possesses 
all  things  without  God,  has  nothing;  but  he  who  pos 
sesses  God  without  anything  else,  has  all  things.  Hence, 
St.  Francis  had  reason  to  say,  and  to  repeat,  as  he  did 
for  an  entire  night,  My  God,  and  my  all.  Happy,  then,  is 
he  who  can  say  with  David:  For  what  have  I  in  heaven  ? 
and  besides  Thee  what  do  I  desire  upon  earth  ?  .  .  .  God  is 
my  portion  forever*  My  God,  neither  in  heaven  nor  on 
earth  do  I  wish  for  anything  but  Thee.  Thou  art,  and 
shall  be  always,  the  Lord  of  my  heart,  and  my  only 
riches. 

God  deserves  to  be  loved  for  his  own  sake,  because 
he  is  an  object  worthy  of  infinite  love:  but  we  should 
love  him,  at  least,  through  gratitude  for  the  infinite 
love  he  has  shown  in  the  benefit  of  redemption.  What 
more  could  God  do  for  us,  than  become  man  and  die 
for  us  ?  Greater  love  than  this  no  man  hath,  that  a  man  lay 
down  his  life  for  his  friends."  Before  redemption,  men 
could  doubt  if  God  loved  them  with  a  tender  love;  but 
how  can  they  doubt  it  after  having  seen  him  dead  on  a 
cross  for  the  love  of  them.  This  has  been,  as  it  was 
called  by  Moses  and  Elias  on  Mount  Thabor,  an  excess 
of  love:  And  they  spoke  of  His  decease  [excess]  that  He 
should  accomplish  in  Jerusalem?  An  excess  that  all  the 

1  "  Si  non  amavero  te,  quid  amabo?" — Mcdit.  13. 

2  "  Unum  est  necessarium." — Luke,  x.  42. 

3  "Quid  enim  mihi  est  in  coelo?  et  a  te  quid  volui  super  terram  ? 
.   .   .   Deus  cordis  mei,  et  pars  mea  Deus  in  aeternum." — Ps.  Ixxii.  25. 

4  "  Majorem  hac  dilectionem   nemo  habet,  ut  animam  suam  ponat 
quis  pro  amicis  suis." — John,  xv.  13. 

5  "  Dicebant  excessum  ejus,  quern  completurus  erat  in  Jerusalem. "- 
Litkc,  ix.  31. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  387 

angels  shall  not  be  able  to  comprehend  for  all  eternity. 
Who  among  men,  says  St.  Anselm,  could  deserve  that  a 
God  should  die  for  him?1  But  it  is  certain  that  this 
Son  of  God  has  died  for  each  of  us:  Christ  died  for  all.'' 
The  Apostle  writes,  that  when  the  death  of  our  Saviour 
was  preached  to  the  Gentiles  it  appeared  to  them 
foolishness:  We  preach  Christ  crucified,  unto  the  Jews  in 
deed  a  stumbling-block,  and  unto  the  Gentiles  foolishness?  It 
was  neither  foolishness  nor  a  lie,  but  a  truth  of  faith, — 
a  truth  which,  as  St.  Laurence  Justinian  says,  makes  a 
God  appear  to  us  foolish  through  love  for  man.4  O 
God,  if  Jesus  Christ  wished  to  show  his  love  for  his 
eternal  Father,  could  he  give  him  a  more  convincing 
proof  than  by  dying  on  a  cross,  as  he  has  died,  for  each 
of  us?  I  say  more:  If  a  servant  had  died  for  us,  could 
we  but  love  him  ?  But  where  is  our  love  and  gratitude 
towards  Jesus  Christ? 

Let  us  at  least  frequently  remember  what  our  Re 
deemer  has  done  and  suffered  for  us.  They  who  fre 
quently  remember  his  Passion  give  great  pleasure  to 
Jesus  Christ.  If  a  person  submitted  to  insults,  wounds, 
and  imprisonment  for  the  sake  of  a  friend,  how  great 
should  his  gratification  be  at  hearing  that  the  friend 
frequently  remembered  and  thought  of  his  sufferings. 
Ah!  the  soul  that  frequently  thinks  on  the  Passion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  on  the  love  that  that  enamoured  God 
has  shown  us  in  his  pains  and  humiliations,  cannot  but 
feel  herself  chained  to  his  love:  The  charity  of  Christ 
presseth  us.b  But  if  all  should  burn  with  love  for  Jesus 

1  "Quisdignus  erat  ut  Filius  Dei  mortem  pro  eo  pateretur?" — DC 
Mensura  Cruc.  c.  2. 

2  "  Pro  omnibus  mortuus  est  Christus." — 2  Cor.  v.  15. 

3  "  Praedicamus   Christum    crucifixum,    Judseris   qu-idem  scandalum, 
Gentibus  autem  stultitiam." — I  Cor.  i.  23. 

4  "  Vidimus   Sapientiam   amoris   nimietate    infatuatam." — Serm.  de 
Nat.  D. 

5  "  Charitas  em'm  Christi  urget  nos." — 2  Cor.  v.  14, 


388  Material  for  Instructions  [PART  n. 

Christ,  we  priests  should  love  him  with  a  special  love; 
for  Jesus  Christ  has  died  in  a  special  manner  to  make 
us  priests:  for,  as  has  been  said  in  Chapter  I.,  without 
the  death  of  Jesus  Christ  we  should  not  have  the 
holy  and  immaculate  victim  that  we  now  offer  to 
God.  Justly,  then,  has  St.  Ambrose  said:  "Although 
Christ  has  suffered  for  all,  he  has  especially  suffered 
for  us.  But  he  that  receives  more,  owes  more.  Let 
us  render  love  to  him  for  the  blood  that  he  has  shed 
for  us."  J 

Let  us  endeavor  to  understand  the  love  that  Jesus 
Christ  has  shown  us  in  his  Passion,  and  we  shall  cer 
tainly  renounce  the  love  of  creatures,  "  Oh,  if  you 
knew  the  mystery  of  the  cross!"2  said  the  Apostle  St. 
Andrew  to  the  tyrant  who  tempted  him  to  deny  Jesus 
Christ.  As  if  he  said,  O  tyrant!  if  you  knew  the  love 
that  your  God  has  for  you,  and  his  desire  for  your  sal 
vation,  you  would  certainly  cease  to  tempt  me,  and 
through  gratitude  for  so  much  love,  you  would  devote 
yourself  to  his  love. 

Happy,  then,  the  man  who  keeps  constantly  before 
his  eyes  the  wounds  of  Jesus  Christ!  You  shall  draw 
waters  with  joy  out  of  the  Saviour's  fountains?  Oh,  what 
waters  of  devotion,  what  lights  and  affections,  do  the 
saints  draw  from  these  fountains  of  salvation!  Father 
Alvarez  used  to  say,  that  the  ignorance  of  the  riches 
that  we  have  in  Jesus  Christ  is  the  cause  of  the  ruin  of 
Christians.  The  learned  boast  of  their  science,  but  the 
Apostle  gloried  in  nothing  but  in  the  knowledge  of  Jesus 
Christ  crucified:  For  I  judged  not  myself  to  know  anything 

1  "  Etsi  Christus  pro  omnibus  mortuus  est,  pro  nobis  tamen  specialitcr 
passus  est.  Plus  debet,  qui  plus  accepit;  reddamus  ergo  amorem  pro 
sangoiinis  pretio." — In  Ltic.  c.  7. 

3  "  Oh!  si  scires  mysterium  Crucis!" 

z  "  Haurietis  aquas  in  gaudio  de  fontibus  Salvatoris." — Isa.  xii.  3. 

4  "  Non  enim  judicavi  me  scire  aliquid  inter  vos,  nisi  Jesum  Chris 
tum,  et  hunc  crucifixum." — I  Cor.  ii.  2~. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  389 

among  y on,  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified?  Of  what 
advantage  are  all  sciences  to  him  who  knows  not  how 
to  love  Jesus  Christ  ?  And  if  .  .  .  I  should  know  .  .  .  all 
science,  said  the  same  Apostle,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am 
nothing.1  In  another  place  he  said  that  to  gain  Jesus 
Christ  he  esteemed  all  things  as  dung:  I  count  all  things 
to  be  but  loss,  and  count  them  but  as  dung,  that  I  may  gain 
Christ?  Hence  he  gloried  in  calling  himself  the  prisoner 
of  Jesus  Christ:  /,  Paul,  the  prisoner  of  Jesus  Christ? 

Oh,  happy  the  priest  who,  bound  by  these  holy 
chains,  gives  himself  entirely  to  Jesus  Christ!  God 
loves  a  soul  that  gives  herself  entirely  to  him,  more  than 
he  does  a  hundred  imperfect  souls.  If  a  prince  had  a 
hundred  servants,  ninety-nine  of  whom  served  him  with 
little  affection,  always  giving  him  some  displeasure,  and 
had  one  that  served  him  through  pure  love,  always 
seeking  to  please  him  to  the  utmost  of  his  power,  surely 
the  prince  would  love  that  faithful  servant  more  than 
all  the  others:  There  are  young  maidens  without  number \ 
One  is  my  dove,  my  perfect  one?  The  Lord  loves  the  soul 
that  serves  him  perfectly,  as  if  he  had  no  other  to  love 
but  her.  St.  Bernard  says:  "  Learn  from  Christ  how  to 
love  Christ."5  From  his  birth  Jesus  Christ  has  given 
himself  entirely  to  us:  For  a  Child  is  born  to  us,  and  a 
Son  is  given  to  us.6  And  he  has  given  himself  through 
love:  Christ  also  hath  loved  us,  and  hath  delivered  Himself 

1  "  Et  si  noverim  omnem  scientiam,  charitatem  autem  non  habuero 
nihil  sum." — i  Cor.  xiii.  2. 

2  "  Omnia   detrimentum   feci,   et  arbitror  ut  stercora,  ut    Christum 
lucrifaciam." — Phil.  iii.  8. 

3  "  Ego  Paulus,  vinctus  Christi  Jesu." — Eph.  iii.  i. 

4  "  Adolescentularum  non  est  numerus;  una  est  columba  mea,  per- 
fecta  mea." — Cant.  vi.  7. 

5  "  Disce  a  Christo  quemadmodum  diligas  Christum.5' — In  Cant.  s. 

20. 

6  "  Parvulus  enim  natus  est  nobis.  et  filius  datus  est  nobis." — Isa.  ix. 
6. 


390  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

for  us?  It  is  just,  then,  that  we  also  through  love  give 
ourselves  entirely  to  Jesus  Christ.  He,  says  St.  John 
Chrysostom,  has  given  himself  without  reserve  to  you, 
bestowing  upon  you  his  blood,  his  life,  his  merits.2  It  is 
but  just  that  you,  too,  give  yourself  without  reserve 
to  Jesus  Christ,  says  St.  Bernard.3 

But  if  this  holds  for  all,  it  applies  in  a  special  manner 
to  priests.  Hence,  addressing  particularly  the  priests 
of  his  Order,  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  knowing  the  special 
obligation  of  a  priest  to  belong  entirely  to  Jesus  Christ, 
said:  "  Keep  nothing  back  of  yourselves,  so  that  he  who 
offers  himself  entirely  may  also  receive  you."4  The 
Redeemer  has  died  for  all,  that  each  may  live  no  longer 
to  himself,  but  only  to  that  God  who  has  given  his  life 
for  him:  Christ  died  for  all;  that  they  also,  who  live,  may 
not  now  live  to  themselves,  but  unto  Him  who  died  for  them:1 
Oh  that  each  of  us  would  continually  say  to  God  with 
St.  Augustine:  "  May  I  die  to  myself  that  I  may  live 
only  for  Thee!"1  But  to  belong  entirely  to  God,  we 
must  give  him  our  whole,  .undivided  love,  says  St. 
Augustine.7  He  cannot  belong  entirely  to  God  who 
loves  anything  which  is  not  God,  or  loves  it  not  for 
God,  continues  St.  Augustine.  "  Let  your  soul,"  cries 
out  St.  Bernard,  "be  one,  that  you  may  serve  God 
alone."'  Ah!  redeemed  soul,  divide  not  your  love 

1  "  Dilexit  nos,  et  tradidit  semetipsum  pro  nobis." — Eph.  v.  2. 

2  "  Totum  tibi  dedit,  nihil  sibi  reliquit." 

3  "  Integrum  te  da  illi,  quia  ille,  ut  te  salvaret,  integrum  se  tradidit." 
— DC  Modo  bene  viv.  c.  8. 

4  "  Nihil  de  vobis  retineatis  vobis,  ut  totos  vos  recipiat;  qui  se  vobis 
exhibet  totum." 

5  "  Pro  omnibus  mortuus  est  Christus,  ut  et  qui  vivunt,  jam  non  sibi 
vivant,  sed  ei  qui  pro  ipsis  mortuus  est." — i  Cor.  v.  15. 

6  "  Moriar  mihi,  ut  tu  solus  in  me  vivas." 

7  "Minus  te  amat,   qui  tecum  aliquid   amat,  quod  non  propter  te 
amat." — Conf.  1.  10,  c.  29. 

8  "  Anima,  sola  esto,  ut  soli  te  serves." — In  Cant.  s.  40. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  391 

among  creatures;  keep  yourself  alone  for  that  God  who 
alone  merits  all  your  love.  It  was  this  that  Blessed 
Egidius  meant  by  the  words  una,  uni,  that  is,  the  one 
soul  which  we  have,  we  ought  not  to  divide,  but  give 
entirely  to  that  one  God  whose  love  for  us  exceeds  the 
love  of  all  others,  and  whose  claims  to  our  love  surpass 
the  claims  of  all. 

II. 

Means  to  be  Employed  for  belonging  Entirely  to  God. 
i.  DESIRE  FOR  PERFECTION. 

Let  us  now  see  what  a  priest  must  do  in  order  to  be 
long  entirely  to  God.  First  of  all,  he  must  have  a  great 
desire  of  sanctity:  For  the  beginning  of  her  is  the  most 
true  desire  of  discipline.1'  Holy  desires  are  the  wings  with 
which  souls  fly  to  God:  But  the  path  of  the  just,  as  a 
shining  light,  goeth  forward,  and  increaseth  even  to  perfect 
day?  The  way  of  the  just  is  like  the  light  of  the  sun, 
which  from  his  rising  increases  as  he  advances  in  his 
course;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  light  of  sinners,  like 
that  of  the  evening,  constantly  grows  more  dim,  until  it 
is  entirely  lost,  so  that  the  miserable  beings  no  longer 
see  where  they  are  going:  The  way  of  the  wicked  is  dark 
some;  they  know  not  where  they  fall? 

Miserable,  then,  the  man  who  is  content  with  his  con 
duct,  and  seeks  not  to  advance.  "  Not  to  advance  is  to 
go  backward,"4  says  St.  Augustine.  And  St.  Gregory 
has  said,5  he  who  remains  in  a  river  without  making  an 
effort  to  make  way  against  the  current,  shall  be  carried 

1  "  Initium  enim   illius,  verissima  est  discipline  concupiscentia." — 
Wisd.  vi.  1 8. 

2  "  lustorum  autem  semita,  quasi  lux  splendens.  procedit  et  crescit 
usque  ad  perfectam  diem." — Prov.  iv.  18. 

"  Via  impiorum  tenebrosa;  nesciunt  ubi  corruant." — Ib.  19. 

4  "  Non  progredi,  reverti  est." — Ep.  17,  E.  B.  app. 

5  Past.  p.  3,  c.  i. 


39 2  Material  for  Instructions.          LPART  n. 

back  by  it.  Hence  St.  Bernard  said  to  a  tepid  soul, 
"  You  do  not  wish  to  advance.  You  will  then  go  back 
ward."  Are  you  unwilling  to  advance?  Then  you 
wish  to  go  backward.  You  perhaps  will  answer:  I  wish 
to  remain  as  I  am,  neither  better  nor  worse.  But  this 
is  impossible.  "  This,"  adds  the  saint,  "  is  what  cannot 
be  done."2  This  cannot  be,  since  Job  has  said,  that 
man  never  continueth  in  the  same  state?  To  win  the  prize 
that  is,  the  eternal  crown,  we  must  run  till  we  obtain 
it:  So  run  that  you  may  obtain?  He  who  ceases  to  run, 
shall  lose  all  his  labor  and  the  crown  of  glory. 

Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice?  For, 
as  the  divine  mother  said,  God  fills  with  his  graces  the 
souls  that  desire  to  become  saints.  He  hath  filed  the 
hungry  with  good  things.  Mark  the  words,  the  hungry,  those 
that  hunger?  But  to  become  a 'saint,  a  simple  desire 
is  not  enough:  a  strong  desire,  and  a  certain  hunger 
after  sanctity,  are  necessary.  As  flame  runs  through  a 
dry  reed,  so  they  who  have  this  blessed  hunger  do  not 
walk,  but  run  in  the  way  of  virtue.  The  just  shall  shine, 
and  shall  run  to  and  fro  like  sparks  among  the  reeds.'1  Who, 
then,  shall  become  a  saint  ?  He  who  wishes  to  become 
one:  If  thou  wilt  be  perfect,  go,  etc.8  But  he  must  wrish 
for  sanctity  with  true  humility.  The  tepid  Christian, 
as  the  Wise  Man  says,  also  wills,  but  not  with  a  sincere 
will.  He  desires,  and  always  desires,  but  his  desires 
bring  him  to  destruction;  for  he  feeds  on  them,  and  in 

"  Non  vis  proficere;  vis  ergo  deficere." 
"  Hoc  ergo  vis,  quod  esse  non  potest." — Ep.  254. 
"  Nunquam  in  eodem  statu  permanet." — Job,  xiv.  2. 
"  Sic  currite,  ut  comprehendatis." — i  Cor.  ix.  24. 
"  Beati,  qui  esuriunt  et  sitiunt  justitiam." — MatlJi.  v.  6. 
"  Esurientes  implevit  bonis." — Magnif. 

"  Fulgebunt  justi,  et  tanquam  scintillse  in  arundineto  discurrent. " 
—  Wisd.  iii.  7. 

8  "  Si  vis  perfectus  esse,  vade  .  .  .   ." — Matth.  xix.  21. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  393 

the  mean  time  goes  from  bad  to  worse:  The  sluggard 
willeth  and  willeth  not.1 — Desires  kill  the  slothfid? 

Wisdom,  that  is  sanctity,  is  easily  found  by  them  who 
seek  it:  It  is  found  by  them  that  seek  her?  But  to  find  sanc 
tity  it  is  not  enough  to  desire  it;  we  must  desire  it  with  a 
determined  will  to  attain  it:  If  you  seek,  seek*  says  Isaias. 
He  who  desires  sanctity  with  a  resolute  will  of  acquiring 
it,  easily  attains  it.  "  Not  with  the  feet  of  the  body," 
says  St.  Bernard,  "but  with  the  desires  of  the  soul;  is 
God  sought."5  And  St.  Teresa  has  written:  "Let  our 
thoughts  be  great;  from  great  thoughts  our  advance 
ment  shall  come.  Our  desires  must  not  be  low  and 
grovelling,  but  we  must  trust  in  God;  that,  gradually 
doing  violence  to  ourselves,  we  shall,  with  the  divine 
grace,  arrive  at  the  sanctity  which  the  saints  have  at 
tained."0 

Open  thy  mouth  wide,  says  the  Lord,  and  I  will  fill  it} 
A  mother  cannot  give  suck  to  an  infant  if  it  open  not 
its  mouth  to  take  the  milk.  Open  thy  mouth  wide;  that 
is,  says  St.  Athanasius,  "Increase  thy  desires."'  By 
holy  desires  the  saints  have  arrived  at  perfection  in  a 
short  time:  Being  made  perfect  in  a  short  time,  he  fulfilled 
a  long  time*  This  was  verified  particularly  in  St. 
Aloysius  Gonzaga,  who  in  a  few  years  attained  such 
sublime  sanctity,  that  to  St.  Mary  Magdalene  de  Pazzi, 
who  saw  him  in  bliss,  it  appeared  that  his  glory  was 
scarcely  surpassed  by  that  of  any  of  the  saints.  And 

"  Vult  et  non  vult  piger." — Prov.  xiii.  4. 
2  "  Desideria  occidunt  pigrum." — Prov.  xxi.  25. 

8  "  Invenitur  ab  his  qui  quaerunt  illam." — Wisd.  vi.  13. 

4  "  Si  quaeritis,  quaerite." — 7sa.  xxi.  12. 

5  "  Non   pedum  passibus,  sed  desideriis  quseritur  Deus." — In  Cant. 
s.  84. 

6  Life,  ch.  13. 

7  "  Dilata  os  tuum,  et  implebo  illud." — Ps.  Ixxx.  n. 
"  Dilata  desiderium  tuum." 

9  "  Consummatus  in  brevi,  explevit  tempora  multa." — Wisd.  iv.  13. 


394  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

she  was  told  that  he  attained  to  such  glory  by  the  ardor 
with  which  he  desired,  during  life,  to  love  God  as  much 
as  he  deserved  to  be  loved. 

Desires,  says  St.  Laurence  Justinian,  give  strength  to 
the  soul,  and  render  labor  light.1  Hence  the  saint  adds, 
that  he  who  has  an  ardent  desire  of  victory  has  already 
conquered.2  St.  Augustine  has  said:  "For  him  that 
labors,  the  road  is  narrow;  for  him  that  loves,  it  is  wide."  3 
To  him  who  has  but  little  love  for  sanctity,  the  way  is 
narrow  and  difficult  to  be  trodden;  but  he  who  ardently 
loves  perfection,  finds  the  way  broad,  and  walks  in  it 
without  labor.  The  broadness,  then,  of  the  way  is 
found  not  in  the  way,  but  in  the  heart;  that  is,  in  a  de 
termined  will  to  please  God:  I  have  run  the  way  of  Thy 
commandments ',  when  Thou  didst  enlarge  my  heart.*  Blosius 
says  that  the  Lord  is  not  less  pleased  by  holy  desires 
than  by  ardent  love.5 

He  that  has  not  the  desire  of  becoming  a  saint,  let 
him  at  least  ask  it  of  God,  and  God  will  give  it  to  him. 
And  let  us  be  persuaded  that  to  become  a  saint  is  not 
difficult  to  him  who  desires  it.  In  the  world  it  is  diffi 
cult  for  a  vassal  to  obtain  the  friendship  of  his  sovereign, 
however  ardently  he  may  desire  it,  but,  said  the  courtier 
of  the  emperor  mentioned  by  St.  Augustine,  to  obtain 
the  friendship  of  God  it  is  enough  to  wish  for  it:  "  Be 
hold,  if  I  wish  I  am  instantly  his  friend!"0  And  St. 
Bernard  has  written  that  a  man  cannot  have  a  greater 

1  "Vires  subministrat,  poenam  exhibet  leviorem." — DC  Disc.  won. 
c.  6. 

2  "  Magna  victorise  pars  est  vincendi  desiderium." — De  Casto  Conn. 
c.  3. 

3  "  Laboranti  ant>usta  via  est,  amanti  lata." — In  Ps.  30,  en.  2.. 

4  "  Viam  mandatorum  tuorum  cucurri,  cum  dilatasticor  meum." — Ps. 
cxviii.  32. 

5  "  Deus  non  minus  sancto  desiderio  Isetatur,  quam  si  anima  amore 
liquefiat." 

6  "  Amicus  Dei,  si  voluero,  ecce  nunc  fio." — Conf.  1.  8,  c.  6. 


INSTR.  x.i  The  Love  of  God.  395 

proof  of  being  the  friend  of  God,  and  of  enjoying  his 
grace,  than  when  he  desires  greater  grace  in  order  to 
please  God.1  And,  adds  the  saint,  it  matters  not  that 
he  should  have  been  a  sinner,  for  "  God  attends  not  to 
what  a  man  has  done,  but  to  what  he  wishes  to  be.": 

2.  THE  INTENTION  OF  PLEASING  GOD  IN  ALL  THINGS. 

Secondly,  the  priest  who  wishes  to  be  a  saint,  must  do 
all  his  actions  for  the  sole  purpose  of  pleasing  God. 
All  his  words,  thoughts,  desires,  and  actions  must  bean 
exercise  of  divine  love.  The  spouse  in  the  Canticles 
assumed  at  one  time  the  character  of  a  fowler;  at  an 
other,  of  a  warrior;  now  a  gardener;  again,  a  cultivator 
of  the  vine;  but  in  all  these  occupations  she  presented 
the  appearance  of  a  lover,  because  she  did  all  for  the 
love  of  her  spouse.  So,  in  like  manner,  all  the  words, 
thoughts,  sufferings,  actions,  of  a  priest,  whether  he 
says  Mass  or  hears  confessions,  or  preaches,  or  medi 
tates,  or  assists  the  dying,  or  mortifies  the  flesh,  or 
whatever  else  he  does,  should  all  proceed  from  the  same 
love;  for  he  ought  to  do  all  in  order  to  please  God. 

Jesus  Christ  has  said:  If  thy  eye  be  single,  thy  whole  body 
shall  be  lightsome*  By  the  eye  the  holy  Fathers  have 
understood  the  intention.  Then,  says  St.  Augustine, 
"  The  intention  makes  the  work  good." 4  The  Lord  said 
to  Samuel:  Man  seeth  those  things  that  appear,  but  the  Lord 
beholdeth  the  heart?  Men  are  satisfied  with  the  works  that 
they  see,  but  God,  who  beholds  the  heart,  is  not  content 
with  any  work  unless  he  sees  it  performed  with  a  view 

1  "  Nullum  omnino   prsesentire  ejus  certius  testimonium  est,  quam 
desiderium  gratiae  amplioris." — De  S.  Anctr.  s.  2. 

2  "  Non  attendit  Deus  quid  fecerit  homo,  sed  quid  velit  esse." 

3  "  Si  oculus  tuus  fuerit  simplex,  totum  corpus  tuum  lucidum  erit." 
— Matth.  vi.  22. 

4  "  Bonum  opus  intentio  facit." — In  Ps.  21,  en.  2. 

5  "  Homo  enim  videt  ea  quae  parent;  Dominus  autem  intuetur  cor." 
— I  Kings,  xvi.  7. 


396  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

to  please  himself.  I  will  offer  up  to  Thee  holocausts  full 
of  marrow?  says  David.  Works  performed  without  the 
proper  intention,  are  victims  without  marrow,  which 
God  rejects.  In  the  oblations  made  to  him  he  regards 
not  the  value  of  the  offering,  but  the  affection  with 
which  it  is  presented.  "  God,"  says  Salvian,  "  looks  not 
so  much  at  the  value  of  the  offering  as  at  the  disposition 
with  which  it  is  offered."5  Of  our  Saviour  it  was  justly 
said:  He  hath  done  all  things  well*  For  in  all  his  actions 
he  sought  only  the  pleasure  of  his  eternal  Father:  / 
seek  not  my  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me* 

But,  alas!  only  few  of  our  works  are  perfectly  pleasing 
to  God;  because  few  are  done  without  some  desire  of 
our  own  glory.  "  It  is  rare,"  says  St.  Jerome,  "  to  find  a 
faithful  soul  that  never  acts  out  of  vain-glory."8  How 
many  priests  on  the  day  of  judgment  shall  say  to  Jesus 
Christ:  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  prophesied,  and  cast  out 
devils  in  Thy  name,  and  done  many  miracles  in  Thy  name  ? 8 
Lord,  we  have  preached,  we  have  celebrated  Masses,  we 
have  heard  confessions,  we  have  converted  souls,  we 
have  assisted  the  dying.  The  Lord  shall  answer:  / 
never  knew  you :  depart  from  Me,  you  that  work  iniquity? 
He  shall  say:  Begone,  I  have  never  known  you  as  my 
ministers,  for  you  have  not  labored  for  me,  but  for  your 
own  glory  or  interest. 

Hence  Jesus  Christ  exhorts  us  to  conceal  the  works 

1  "  Holocausta  medullata  off e ram  tibi." — Ps.  Ixv.  15. 

2  "  Oblata  Deo,  non  pretio,  sed  affectu  placent." — Adv.  Avarit.  1.  i. 

3  "  Bene  omnia  fecit." — Mark,  vii.  37. 

4  "  Non  quaero  voluntatem  meam,  sed  voluntatem  ejus  qui  misit  me." 
— John,  v.  30. 

5  "  Rarum  est,  fidelem  animam  inveniri,  ut  nihil  ob  gloriae  cupidita- 
tem  facial." — Dial.  adv.  Lnciferianos. 

6  "  Domine,  nonne  in  nomine  tuo  prophetavimus,  et  in  nomine  tuo 
daemonia  ejecimus,  et  in  nomine  tuovirtutes  multas  fecimus?" — Matth. 
vii.  22. 

7  "Nunquam  novi  vos;  discedite  a  me,  qui  operamini  iniquitatem." 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  397 

which  we  perform:  Let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy 
right  hand  doth?  The  Son  of  God  tells  us  to  conceal  our 
works,  that,  as  St.  Augustine  remarks,  what  we  do  for 
God  may  not  be  afterwards  lost  through  vanity.2  God 
abominates  rapine  in  the  holocaust:  /  the  Lord  .  .  . 
hate  robbery  in  a  holocaust?  By  rapine  is  meant  precisely 
the  seeking  of  our  own  glory,  or  of  self-interest  in  the 
works  of  God.  He  who  truly  loves,  says  St.  Bernard, 
merits  a  reward,  but  does  not  seek  it:  the  only  recom 
pense  that  he  demands  is  to  please  the  God  whom  he 
loves.4  In  a  word,  as  the  same  saint  says  in  another 
place,  "  True  love  is  content  with  itself;"5  that  is,  with 
being  love,  and  demands  nothing  more. 

The  marks  by  which  a  priest  may  know  whether  he 
acts  with  a  pure  intention  are  the  following:  i.  If  he 
loves  works  that  are  attended  with  greater  incon 
venience  and  less  glory.  2.  If  he  preserves  peace  when 
he  has  not  attained  the  object  that  he  proposed.  He 
who  works  for  God  has  already  attained  his  end,  which 
is  to  please  God;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who  is  dis 
turbed  when  he  fails  in  the  attainment  of  his  object 
shows  that  he  has  not  labored  solely  for  God.  3.  If  he 
rejoices  in  the  good  done  by  others  as  if  it  had  been 
done  by  himself,  and  entertains  no  jealousy  when  others 
engage  in  the  works  that  he  performs,  but  desires  to  see 
all  laboring  to  give  glory  to  God,  and  says  with  Moses: 
Oh  that  all  the  people  might  prophesy  /" 

The  days  of  the  priest  who   performs  all  his  actions 

1  "  Nesciat  sinistra  tua  quid  faciat  dextera  tua." — Matth.  vi.  3. 

y  "  Quod  facit  amor  Dei,  non  corrumpat  vanitas." — Serm.  63,  E.  B. 
app. 

"  Ego  Dominus,  .   .  .   odio  habens  rapinam  in  holocausto." — Isa. 
Ixi.  8. 

4  "  Verus  amor  prsemium  non  requirit,  sed  meretur;  habet  prsemium, 
sed  id  quod  amatur." — De  dil.  Deo,  c.  7. 

5  "  Verus  amor  seipso  contentus  est." 

6  "  Quis  tribuat  ut  omnis  populus  prophetet!" — Num.  xi.  20,. 


398  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

for  God  are  full  days:  And  full  days  shall  be  found  in 
them.1  But  of  them  who  act  for  a  selfish  end,  it  is  said 
that  they  do  not  reach  even  the  half  of  their  days:  De 
ceitful  men  shall  not  live  out  half  their  days?  Hence  St. 
Eucherius  of  Lyons  has  written,  that  we  ought  to  con 
sider  ourselves  to  have  lived  only  on  the  day  on  which 
we  have  denied  our  own  will.3 

Seneca  says  that  he  who  makes  us  a  small  present 
through  love,  imposes  on  us  a  greater  obligation  than 
another  who  bestows  great  favors  upon  us  through  a 
motive  of  self-interest.4  Certainly  the  Lord  is  more 
pleased  by  a  trifling  act  performed  in  order  to  do  his 
will,  than  by  the  most  splendid  works  done  for  our  own 
satisfaction.  Of  the  poor  widow  who  gave  two  mites  in 
the  temple,  Jesus  Christ  said  that  she  gave  more  than 
all  the  others:  This  poor  widow  hath  cast  in  more  than  all* 
On  this  passage  St.  Cyprian  says:  "  The  Lord  does  not 
regard  how  much  is  given,  but  with  what  sentiments  it 
is  given."  (  The  Lord  regarded  not  the  sum,  but  the 
affection  with  which  it  was  given. 

The  Abbot  Pambo,  seeing  a  woman  decked  out  in 
costly  ornaments,  began  to  weep.  Being  asked  the 
cause  of  his  tears,  he  said:  "  O  God!  how  much  more 
does  this  woman  do  to  please  men  than  I  do  to  please 
God  !"  In  the  Life  of  St.  Louis,  king  of  France,  it  is 
related  that  a  Father  of  the  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  who 
was  going  to  court,  asked  a  woman  whom  he  saw  with 

1  "  Et  dies  pleni  invenientur  in  eis." — Ps.  Ixxii.  10. 
3  "  Dolosi  non  dimidiabunt  dies  suos." — Ps.  liv.  24. 

3  "  Ilium  tantum  diem  vixisse  te  computa;  in  quo  voluntates  pro- 
prias  abnegasti." — Ad  Monach.  horn.  9. 

4  "  Magis  nos  obligat,  qui  exiguum  dedit  libenter,  quam  qui,  non 
voluntatem  tantum  juvandi  habuit,  sed  cupiditatem." — De Benefic.  1.  I, 
c.  7. 

5  "  Vidua  haec  pauper  plus  omnibus  misit." — Mark,  xii.  43. 

6  "  Considerans,  non  quantum,  sed  ex  quanto  dedisset." — De  Oge  et 
FJecm.. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  399 

a  lighted  torch  in  one  hand  and  a  vessel  of  water  in  the 
other,  why  she  carried  these  things;  she  answered:  With 
this  torch  I  wish  to  burn  heaven,  and  with  this  water  I 
desire  to  extinguish  hell,  that  God  may  be  loved  solely 
because  he  deserves  all  love.  Oh,  happy  the  priest  who 
labors  only  to  please  God!  He  who  seeks  only  to  please 
God  imitates  the  souls  in  heaven,  who,  as  the  angelic 
Doctor  says,  "  wish  that  He  rather  than  themselves 
should  be  happy."  They  rejoice  more  in  the  felicity 
of  God  than  in  their  own  happiness,  because  they  love 
him  more  than  themselves. 

3.  PATIENCE  IN  PAINS  AND  HUMILIATIONS. 

Thirdly,  the  priest  who  wishes  to  be  holy  must  be 
ready  to  suffer  in  peace  for  God  all  things — poverty, 
dishonor,  infirmity,  and  death.  The  Apostle  says:  You 
bear  God  in  your  body?  In  his  comment  on  this  text, 
Gilbert  says:  "Jesus  Christ  wishes  to  be  carried  by  us 
in  peace  and  joy.  He  who  carries  him  with  tediousness 
or  complaint,  carries  not,  but  drags  him  by  force." : 
The  love  that  a  soul  bears-  to  God  is  shown  in  em 
bracing  not  delights,  but  insults  and  sufferings.  This 
we  learn  from  the  words  of  our  Redeemer  when  he 
went  to  meet  the  soldiers  who  came  to  capture  him,  in 
order  to  put  him  to  death:  But  that  the  world  may  know 
that  I  love  the  Father.  .  .  .  Arise,  let  us  go  hence.1'  Hence 
the  saints  in  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ,  have  gone  with 
joy  to  embrace  torments  and  death.  St.  Joseph  of 
Leonessa,  a  capuchin,  was  once  obliged  to  undergo  a 

1  "  Anima  potius  vult  ipsum  esse  beatum,  quam  seipsam  esse  bea- 
tam."— De  Bcatit.  c.  7. 

2  "  Glorificate  et  portate  Deum  in  corpora  vestro." — i  Cor.  vi.  20. 

3  "  Portari  vult  a  nobis  Christum,  sed  gloriose,  non  cum  taedio,  non 
cum  murmure;  portari,  non  trahi:  trahenti  enim  onerosus  est  Christus." 
— In  Cant.  s.  17. 

4  "  Ut  cognoscat  mundus  quia  diligo  Patrem,   .  .   .   surgite,  eamus 
hinc." — John  ^  xiv.  31. 


4OO  Material  for  Instructions.          LPART  n. 

painful  operation.  When  some  persons  present  spoke 
of  binding  him  with  cords,  he  took  the  crucifix  into  his 
hands  and  said:  "What  cords!  what  cords!"  My  Lord, 
who  was  nailed  to  the  cross  for  my  sake,  binds  me 
sufficiently  to  endure  all  pain  for  the  love  of  him.  Thus 
he  bore  the  incision  without  complaint.  St.  Teresa 
said:  u  Who  is  there  that  can  behold  his  Lord  covered 
with  wounds,  and  persecuted  by  enemies,  without  being 
willing  to  embrace  and  desirous  of  suffering  every 
tribulation?"1  St.  Bernard  writes:  "To  him  who  loves 
his  crucified  God,  insults  and  pains  are  very  accept 
able."2 

The  Apostle  says  that  in  patience  particularly  we 
priests  should  make  ourselves  known  as  the  ministers  of 
Jesus  Christ:  Let  us  exhibit  ourselves  as  the  ministers  of 
God,  in  much  patience,  in  tribulation,  in  necessities,  in  dis 
tresses,  .  .  .  in  labors?  Thomas  a  Kempis  has  written: 
"When  the  day  of  judgment  cometh,  it  will  not  be 
asked  of  us  what  we  have  read,  but  what  we  have 
done." 4  Many  men  of  learning  are  acquainted  with 
many  things,  but  know  not  how  to  bear  anything  for 
God;  and  what  is  worse,  they  are  incapable  of  under 
standing  the  great  fault  which  they  commit  by  their 
impatience.  Who  have  eyes,  and  see  not*  says  the  Prophet 
Jeremias.  What  does  learning  profit  the  man  who  has 
not  charity?  says  St.  Paul.  And  if  ...  /  should  know 
all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  .  .  .  and  have  not  charity,  I  am 


1  Life,  ch.  26. 

2  "  Grata  ignominia  crucis  ei  qui  Crucifixo   ingratus  non  est." — /;/ 
Cant.  s.  25. 

3  "  Exhibeamus  nosmetipsos  sicut  Dei  ministros  in  multa  patientia, 
in  tribulation ibus,  in  necessitatibus,  in  angustiis,  ...  in  laboribus  .  .  ." 
— 2  Cor.  vi.  4. 

4  "  Adveniente  die  judicii,  non  quaerettir  quid  legimus,  sed  quid  feci- 
mus." — De  Imit.  Chr.  1.  i,  c.  3. 

5  "  Habentes  oculos  non  videtis." — Jer.  v.  21. 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  401 

nothing?  But,  as  the  same  Apostle  has  observed,  Charity 
beareth  all  things?  He  who  wishes  to  become  a  saint 
must  suffer  persecution.  All  that  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus 
shall  suffer  persecution?  And  before  him  our  Saviour 
said :  If  they  have  persecuted  Me,  they  will  also  persecute 
you?  The  life  of  a  saint  cannot,  says  St.  Hilary,  be  a 
life  of  quiet  and  tranquillity:  it  must  be  often  disturbed 
by  contradictions  and  tried  by  patience.5  The  Lord 
chastises  those  whom  he  accepts  for  his  children:  For 
whom  the  Lord  loveth,  He  chastiseth:  and  He  scourgcth  every 
son  whom  He  receive  th*  Such  as  I  love  I  rebuke  and 
chastise?  And  why  ?  Because  patience  tries  the  love 
and  perfect  fidelity  of  a  soul:  Patience  hath  a  perfect  work? 
It  was  this  that  the  Archangel  Raphael  meant  to  say  to 
holy  Tobias:  Because  thou  wast  acceptable  to  God,  it  was 
necessary  that  temptation  should  prove  thee? 

Sometimes  we  shall  be  reproved  for  a  fault  which  we 
have  not  committed;  but  "what  matter?"  says  St. 
Augustine;  "we  ought  to  accept  the  reproof  in  atone 
ment  for  other  sins  to  which  we  have  consented."  ' '  Let 
us  attend  to  the  words  of  holy  Judith,  who  says  that  in 
this  life  chastisements  come  from  God,  not  for  our  de- 

1  "  Et  si  .  .  .  noverim  mysteria  omnia  et  omnem  scientiam,  chari- 
tatem  autem  non  habuero,  nihil  sum." — I  Cor.  xiii.  2. 

2  "  Charitas  omnia  suffert." 

3  "  Et  omnes  qui  pie  volunt  vivere  in  Christo  Jesu,  persecutionem 
patientur." — 2  Tim.  iii.  12. 

4  "  Si  me  persecuti  sunt,  et  vos  persequentur." — John,  xv.  20. 

5  "  Non  otiosa  aetas  religiosi  viri  est,  neque  quietam  exigit  vitam; 
impugnatur  saepe,  et  haec  sunt  quae  fidem  probant." — In  Ps.  cxxviii. 

6  "  Quern  enim  diligit   Dominus,  castigat;    flagellat  autem  omnem 
filium  quern  recipit." — Heb,  xii.  6. 

7  "  Ego,  quos  amo,  arguo  et  castigo." — Apoc.  iii.  19. 

6  "  Patienlia  autem  opus  perfectum  habet." — James,  i.  4. 

9  "  Quia  acceptus  eras  Deo,  necesse  fuit  ut  tentatio  probaret  te." — 
Tob.  xii.  13. 

10  ''  Etsi  non  habemus  peecatum  quod  nobis  objicit  inimicus,  habemus 
tamen  alterum,  quod  digne  in  nobis  flagellatur." — In  Ps.  68,  s.  I. 

26 


402  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

struction,  but  that  we  may  amend,  and  thus  escape 
eternal  vengeance :  They  have  happened  for  our  amendment, 
and  not  for  our  destruction.1  If,  then,  on  account  of  past 
sins,  we  find  ourselves  debtors  to  the  divine  justice,  we 
should  not  only  accept  with  patience  the  tribulations 
that  befall  us,  but  should  also  pray  with  St.  Augustine: 
"  Here  burn,  here  cut,  here  do  not  spare,  that  Thou 
mayest  spare  us  in  eternity."5 

Job  said:  If  we  have  received  good  things  at  the  hand  of 
God,  why  should  we  not  receive  evil? 3  He  said  this  because 
he  well  knew  that  we  gain  far  more  by  patiently  accept 
ing  the  evils,  that  is,  the  tribulations  of  this  life,  than 
we  do  by  temporal  blessings.  But  whether  we  will  or 
not,  we  must  suffer  the  miseries  of  this  life:  he  who 
bears  them  with  patience  merits  heaven,  but  he  who  is 
impatient  under  them  also  suffers  from  them,  but  lays 
up  merits  for  hell,  says  St.  Augustine.4  Speaking  of 
the  good  and  the  wicked  thief,  the  same  saint  says: 
"The  cross  united  them;  the  manner  of  carrying  the 
cross  separated  them."5  Both  suffered  death,  but  one 
of  them,  because  he  accepted  it  with  patience,  was 
saved;  the  other,  because  he  blasphemed  in  his  suffer 
ing,  was  lost.  St.  John  the  Apostle  saw  that  the  saints 
who  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  beatific  vision  came 
not  from  the  delights  of  the  earth,  but  from  tribulations: 
These  are  they  who  are  come  out  of  great  tribulation;  .  .  . 
therefore  they  arc  before  the  throne  of  God? 

1  "  Ad  emendationem,  et  non  ad  perditionem  nostram,  evenisse  cre- 
damus."— Judith,  viii.  27. 

2  "  Hie  ure,  hie  seca;  hie  non  parcas,  ut  in  aeternum  parcas." 

3  "  Si  bona  suscepimus  de  manu  Dei,  mala  quare  non  suscipiamus  ?" 
— Job,  ii.  10. 

4  ' '  Una  eademque  tunsio  bonos  perducit  ad  gloriam,  males  redigit 
in  favillam." — Scrm.  52,  E.  B.  app. 

5  "  Quos  passio  jungebat.  causa  separabat." — Ep.  185,  E.  B. 

6  "  Hi  sunt  qui  venerunt  de  tribulatione  magna;  .   .       ideo  sunt  ante 
thronum  Dei." — Apoc.  vii.  14. 


INSTR.  x.j  The  Love  of  God.  403 


4.  CONFORMITY  TO  THE  WILL  OF  GOD. 

Fourthly  and  lastly,  he  who  wishes  to  be  a  saint 
must  wish  only  what  God  wishes.  All  our  good  con 
sists  in  uniting  ourselves  to  the  will  of  God:  And  life  in 
His  good-will?  St.  Teresa  says:  "All  that  he  who  prac 
tises  mental  prayer  should  seek,  is  to  conform  his  will 
to  the  divine  will;  let  him  be  assured  that  in  this  con 
sists  the  highest  perfection."5  All  that  the  Lord  de 
mands  of  us  is,  that  we  give  him  our  heart;  that  is,  our 
will:  My  son,  give  Me  thy  heart?  St.  Anselm  says  that 
God  asks  and,  as  it  were,  begs  our  heart;  and  when 
cast  off,  he  does  not  depart,  but  repeats  his  petitions^4 

The  most  acceptable  offering,  then,  that  we  can  pre 
sent  to  God  is  the  oblation  of  our  will,  saying  with  the 
Apostle:  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to  do  ? 5  Hence  St. 
Augustine  has  written:  "We  can  do  nothing  more 
pleasing  than  to  say  to  him,  Do  Thou  possess  us."  '  The 
Lord  said  that  he  had  found  in  David  a  man  according 
to  his  own  heart.  And  why?  Because  David  fulfilled 
all  his  divine  wills:  I  have  found  David,  the  son  of  Jesse,  a 
man  according  to  my  own  heart?  Let  us  endeavor  to  say 
always  with  David:  Teach  me  to  do  Thy  will.*  Lord, 
teach  me  to  do  nothing  but  what  Thou  wiliest.  Hence 
we  must  frequently  offer  ourselves  to  God,  saying  with 

1  "  Et  vita  in  voluntate  ejus." — Ps.  xxix.  6. 

2  Int.  Castle,  d.  2,  ch.  i. 

3  "  Praebe,  fili  mi,  cor  tuum  mihi." — Prov.  xxiii.  26. 

4  "  Nonne  tu  es  Deus  meus,  qui  tarn  crebro  pulsas  et   mendicas  ad 
ostium    nostrum,  dicens:    Prsebe,   fili    mi,   cor   tuum    mihi? — imo,    et 
saepe  repulsus,  te  iterum  ingeris'" — De  Metis,  cntc.  c.  5. 

5  "  Domine,  quid  me  vis  facere  ?" — Acts,  ix.  6. 

6  "  Nihil  gratius  Deo  possumus  offere,  quam  ut  dicamus  ei:  Posside 
nos." — In  Ps.  131. 

7  "  Inveni  David,  filium  Jesse,  virum  secundum  cor  meum,  qui  faciet 
omnes  voluntates  meas." — Acts,  xiii.  22. 

8  "  Doce  me  facere  voluntatem  tuam." — Ps.  cxlii.  9. 


404  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

the  same  holy  prophet:  My  heart  is  ready,  O  God!  my 
heart  is  ready  ^ 

But  we  must  remember  that  our  merit  consists  in  em 
bracing  the  divine  will,  not  so  much  in  things  that  are 
pleasing  to  us,  as  in  those  that  are  opposed  to  self-love. 
Jn  these  we  show  the  strength  of  the  love  we  bear  to 
God.  The  Venerable  John  d'Avila  used  to  say,  that  a 
single  Blessed  be  God,  in  things  that  are  opposed  to  our 
inclination,  is  of  greater  value  than  six  thousand  acts  of 
thanksgiving  in  what  is  agreeable  to  us.  And  here  it 
is  necessary  to  understand  that  all  that  befalls  us  hap 
pens  through  the  will  of  God,  says  St.  Augustine.2  This 
is  the  meaning  of  the  words  of  Ecclesiasticus:  Good 
things  and  evil,  life  and  death,  poverty  and  riches,  are  from 
God?  Thus  when  a  person  offends  us,  God  wills  not 
his  sin,  but  he  wills  that  we  bear  with  the  insult.  When 
our  reputation  or  property  is  taken  away,  we  must  say 
with  holy  Job:  The  Lord  gave,  and  the  Lord  hath  taken 
away:  as  it  hath  pleased  the  Lord  so  is  it  done! 4 

He  who  loves  the  will  of  God  enjoys  continual  peace 
even  in  this  life.  Delight  in  the  Lord,  and  He  will  give 
thee  the  requests  of  thy  heart,  said  David.5  Our  heart, 
which  has  been  created  for  an  infinite  good,  cannot  be 
satisfied  by  all  creatures  which  are  finite;  and  therefore, 
though  it  should  possess  all  goods  but  God,  the  heart  is 
not  content;  it  always  seeks  after  new  enjoyments:  but 
when  it  finds  God,  it  possesses  all  things — he  satisfies 
all  its  demands.  Hence  our  Lord  said  to  the  Samaritan 

1  "  Paratum  cor  meum,  Deus,  paratum  cor  meum." — Ps.  Ivi.  8. 

2  "  Quidquid  hie  accidit  contra  voluntatem  nostram,  noveritis   non 
accidere  nisi  de  voluntate  Dei." — In  Ps.  148. 

3  "  Bona  et  mala,  vita  et  mors,  paupertas  et  honestas,  a  Deo  sunt." 
— Ecdus.  xi.  14. 

4  "  Dominus   dedit,    Dominus   abstulit;    sicut    Domino    placuit,  ita 
factum  est;  sit  nomen  Domini  benedictum!" — Job,  i.  21. 

5  "  Delectare  in   Domino,  et  dabit  tibi  petitiones  cordis  tui." — Ps. 
xxxvi.  4. 


.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  405 

woman:  He  that  shall  drink  of  the  water  that  I  will  give 
him,  shall  not  thirst  forever?  And  in  another  place  he 
said:  Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  justice, 
for  they  shall  have  their  fill?  Hence  he  who  loves  God 
is  not  afflicted  at  anything  that  happens:  Whatsoever 
shall  befall  the  just  man,  it  shall  not  make  him  sad*  For 
the  just  man  knows  that  whatever  occurs,  happens  to 
him  by  the  will  of  God.  If,  says  Salvian,  the  saints  are 
humbled,  they  wish  for  the  humiliation;  if  they  are 
poor,  they  rejoice  in  their  poverty;  in  a  word,  they  wish 
only  what  their  God  wishes,  and  therefore  they  enjoy 
continual  peace.4  In  afflictions  it  is  lawful  to  pray  to 
be  delivered  from  them,  as  Jesus  Christ  did  in  the  gar 
den:  My  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  chalice  pass  from 
Me?  But  we  must  also  add  with  the  Redeemer:  Never 
theless,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  Thou  wilt. 

It  is  certain  tliat  what  God  wills  is  best  for  us. 
Father  John  d'Avila  once  wrote  to  a  sick  priest: 
"  Friend,  think  not  of  what  you  would  do  if  you  were 
in  health,  but  be  content  to  remain  sick  as  long  as  it 
shall  please  God.  If  you  seek  the  will  of  God,  is  it  not 
as  profitable  to  you  to  be  sick  as  to  be  in  health  ?"  6  We 
must  be  resigned  in  all  things,  even  in  the  temptations 
by  which  we  are  impelled  to  offend  God.  The  Apostle 
besought  the  Lord  to  deliver  him  from  the  many  temp 
tations  which  he  suffered  against  chastity:  There  was 
given  me  a  sting  of  my  flesh.  .  .  .  For  which  thing  thrice  I 

"  Qui  autem  biberit  ex  aqua  quam  ego  dabo  ei,  non  sitiet  in  aeter- 
num.  "—/<?//»,  iv.  13. 

2  "  Beati,    qui   esuriunt  et  sitiunt   justitiam,    quoniam    ipsi    satura- 
buntur." — Matth.  v.  6. 

3  "  Non  contristabit  justum,  quid  quid  ei  accident." — Prov.  xii.  21. 

4  "  Humiles  sunt,  hoc  volunt;  pauperes  sunt,  pauperie  delectantur; 
itaque  beati  dicendi  sunt/' — De  Gub.  Dei,  1.  i. 

"Pater  mi,  si  possibile  est,  transeat  a  me  calix  iste;  verumtamen, 
non  sicut  ego  volo,  sed  sicut  tu." — Matth.  xxvi.  39, 
6  Part  2,  ep.  54. 


406  Material  for  Instructions.  [PART  n. 

besought  the  Lord,  that  it  might  depart  from  me.1  But  in 
answer  God  said  to  him:  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee? 
Let  us  be  persuaded  that  God  not  only  desires,  but  is 
also  solicitous  for  our  welfare.  The  Lord  is  careful  for 
me.3  Let  us,  then,  abandon  ourselves  into  the  hands  of 
God,  for  he  has  care  of  us:  Casting  all  your  care  upon 
Him,  for  He  hath  care  of  you." 

Finally,  how  happy  shall  be  the  death  of  a  soul  per 
fectly  conformed  to  the  will  of  God!  But  he  who 
wishes  to  die  in  sentiments  of  perfect  conformity  to  the 
divine  will  must  first  conform  to  it  in  all  things  during 
life.  Let  us,  then,  in  all  contradictions  and  crosses 
that  befall  us  accustom  ourselves  to  acts  of  resignation, 
always  repeating  with  the  saints  that  great  prayer 
which  Jesus  Christ  has  taught  us:  "Thy  will  be  done; 
Thy  will  be  done."'  Or  let  us  repeat  the  words  of  the 
same  Saviour:  Yea,  Father;  for  so  hath  it  seemed  good  in 
Thy  sight.6  And  let  us  continually  offer  ourselves  to 
God,  saying  with  the  divine  Mother:  "  Behold  the  hand 
maid  of  the  Lord."7  Lord,  behold  your  servant,  dis 
pose  of  me,  and  of  all  that  belongs  to  me,  as  you  please; 
I  accept  all  from  your  hands.  St.  Teresa  used  to  offer 
herself  fifty  times  in  the  day  to  God.  Let  us  also  say 
to  him,  with  the  Apostle:  O  Lord,  what  wilt  Thoti  have 
me  do?  My  God,  make  known  to  me  what  Thou  wishest 
from  me,  and  I  will  do  it.  The  saints  have  done  great 
things  in  order  to  accomplish  the  will  of  God.  Some 


1  "  Datus   est    mihi   stimulus   carnis   meae;  .  .   .  propter    quod    ter 
Dominum  rogavi,  ut  discederet  a  me."  —  2  Cor.  xii.  7. 
8  "  Sufficit  tibi  gratia  mea." 

3  "  Dominus  sollicitus  est  mei."  —  Ps.  xxxix.  18. 

4  "  Omnem    sollicitudinem  vestram    projicientes    in   eum,    quoniam 
ipsi  cura  est  de  vobis."  —  i  Pet.  v.  7. 

5  "  Fiat  voluntas  tua!" 

6  "  Ita,  Pater!  quoniam  sic  fuit  placitum  ante  te."  —  Matth.  xi.  26. 

7  "  Ecce  ancilla  Domini!"  8  "  Domine,  quid  me  vis  facere?" 


INSTR.  x.]  The  Love  of  God.  407 

have  fled  into  the  desert,  others  have  shut  themselves 
up  in  the  cloister,  and  others  have  suffered  torments 
and  death.  Let  us  also  who  are  priests,  and  are  bound 
by  stricter  obligations  to  sanctity,  unite  ourselves  to 
the  divine  will;  let  us  become  saints;  let  us  not  be 
diffident  on  account  of  past  sins.  "  God  does  not  at 
tend,"  says  St.  Bernard,  "  to  what  man  does,  but  to  what 
he  wishes  to  be."  ]  A  resolute  will,  with  the  divine  aid, 
conquers  all  things. 

Let  us  pray  always:  he  who  asks,  receives:  For  every 
one  that  asketh,  receiveth?  Whatsoever  we  ask  in  prayer, 
we  shall  obtain:  You  shall  ask  whatever  you  will,  and  it 
shall  be  done  unto  you?  And  among  all  prayers,  let  the 
beautiful  prayer  of  St.  Ignatius  of  Loyola  be  always 
dear  to  us;  let  us  repeat  it  continually:  "Grant  me  only 
Thy  love  with  Thy  grace,  O  Lord!  and  I  shall  be  rich 
enough.'"1  Lord,  give  me  your  love  and  your  grace, 
and  I  desire  nothing  more.  But,  like  St.  Augustine, 
we  must  ask  this  gift  of  divine  love  continually  and 
earnestly.  The  holy  Doctor  says:  "Hear  me,  hear  me, 
O  my  God,  my  King,  my  Father,  my  honor,  my  salva 
tion,  my  light,  my  life, — hear,  hear  me!  Thee  only  do  I 
love,  Thee  only  do  I  seek.  Heal  me,  and  open  my  eyes. 
Look  upon  him  who  has  fled  from  Thee;  long  enough 
have  I  served  Thy  enemy.  Command  that  I  may  be  a 
pure,  a  perfect  lover  of  Thy  wisdom."'"  And  in  asking 


"  Non  attendit  Deus  quid  fecerit  homo,  sed  quid  velit^sse." 

2  "  Omnis  enim  qui  petit,  accipit." — Matth,  vii.  8. 

3  "Quodcunque  volueritis,  petetis,  et  fiet  vobis. "— -Jo/in,  xv.  7. 

"  Amorem  tui  solum  cum  gratia  tua  mihi  dones,   et   dives  sum 
satis." 

5  "  Exaudi,  exaudi,  exaudi  me,  Deus  meus,  Rex  meus,  Pater  meus, 
Honor  meus,  Salus  mea,  Lux  mea,  Vita  mea!  exaudi,  exaudi,  exaudi 
me.  Jam  te  solum  amo,  te  solum  quaero.  Sana  et  aperi  oculos  meos. 
Recipe  fugitivum  tuuir.;  satis  inimicis  tuis  servierim.  .  Jubeas  me 
purum  perfectumque  amatorem  esse  sapientiae  tuae."—  Solil.  1.  i,  c.  i. 


408  Material  for  Institutions.          [PART  n. 

the  divine  graces,  I  add,  with  St.  Bernard,  let  us  always 
have  recourse  to  the  intercession  of  Mary,  who  obtains 
for  her  servants  whatever  she  asks  from  God.1 

1  "  Quaeratnus  gratiam,  et  per  Mariam  quseramus;  quia,  quod  quaerit, 
invenit,  et  frustrari  non  potest. " — De  A  quad. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         409 


INSTRUCTION   XI. 

DEVOTION    TO    MOST    HOLY  .  MARY. 

(THIS  instruction  may  serve  either  for  an  instruction 
or  for  a  sermon;  but  whether  it  be  given  in  the  form  of 
an  instruction  or  of  a  sermon,  the  person  who  gives  the 
spiritual  exercises  to  the  priests  is  entreated  not  to  omit 
this  discourse,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  most  fruitful  of 
all;  for  without  devotion  to  the  divine  Mother  it  is  mor 
ally  impossible  for  any  one  to  be  a  good  priest.) 

Let  us,  first,  consider  the  moral  necessity  of  the  inter 
cession  of  Mary  for  priests;  and  secondly,  the  confidence 
which  they  ought  to  have  in  the  prayers  of  this  divine 
Mother. 


Moral  Necessity  of  the  Intercession  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

With  regard  to  the  necessity  of  invoking  her  inter 
cession,  it  is  necessary  to  know  that  although  the  Couacil 
of  Trent1  has  only  declared  that  the  invocation  of  the 
saints  is  useful,  still  St.  Thomas  has  asked  the  question: 
"Whether  we  should  ask  the  saints  to  pray  for  us,"2 
and  has  answered  in  the  affirmative,  saying,  that  the 
order  of  the  divine  law  requires  that  we  mortals  be 
saved  through  the  saints  by  obtaining,  through  their 
prayers,  the  graces  necessary  for  salvation.  The  holy 
Doctor  says:  "Such  is,  after  St.  Denis  the  Areopagite, 
the  order  divinely  established  for  the  government  of 
kings,  that  those  far  off  should  return  to  God  through 

1  Sess.  2$,  De  inv.  Sand. 
!<  Utrum  debeamus  Sanctos  orare  ad  interpellandum  pro  nobis." 


4ro  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  u. 

the  mediation  of  those  that  are  nearer."  '  "  And  as  the 
saints  in  heaven  are  near  God,  we  who  are  prisoners  in 
the  body  and  who  travel  far  from  God,  we  cannot,  ac 
cording  to  the  order  established,  return  to  our  supreme 
end  except  through  the  mediation  of  the  saints."  2  Other 
authors,  particularly  the  continuator  of  Tournely  and 
Sylvius,  hold  the  same  opinion.  He  afterwards  adds: 
"  The  natural  law  prescribes  for  us  the  order  estab 
lished  by  God.  Now  God  wishes  that  inferior  creat 
ures  in  order  to  reach  salvation  should  implore  the 
help  of  superior  creatures."3 

But  if  it  is  a  duty  to  ask  the  prayers  of  the  saints, 
how  much  more  strictly  are  we  bound  to  invoke  the  in 
tercession  of  Mary,  whose  prayers  are  more  efficacious 
with  God  than  the  prayers  of  all  the  other  saints!  St. 
Thomas  says  that  through  the  abundant  grace  which  God 
has  given  them  the  saints  can  save  many,  but  that  the 
Blessed  Virgin  has  merited  grace  sufficient  to  save  all.4 
St.  Bernard  has  written  that  as  we  have  access  to  the 
Father  through  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  so  we  have  access 
to  the  Son  through  the  Mother.5  Hence  he  afterwards 

1  "  Ordo  est  divinitus  institutus  in  rebus,  secundum  Dionysium,  ut 
per  media  ultima  reducantur  in  Deum.      Unde,  cum  Sancti,  qui  sunt  in 
patria,  sint  Deo  propinquissimi,  hoc  divinae  legis  ordo  requirit,  ut  nos, 
qui  marientes  in  corpore  peregrinamur  a  Domino,  in  eum  per  Sanctos 
medios  reducamur." 

2  "  Sicut,   mediantibus    Sanctorum    suffragiis,    Dei   beneficia   in   nos 
deveniunt,   ita  oportet  nos   in  Deum  reduci,  ut  iterate  beneficia  ejus 
sumamus  mediantibus  Sanctis." — In  4  Sent.  d.  45,  q.  3,  a.  2. 

3  "  Lege  natural!  tenemur  eum  ordinem  observare,  quern  Deus  insti- 
tuit;  at  constituit  Deus  ut  inferiores  ad  salutem  perveniant,  implorato 
superiorum  subsidio." — De  Relig.  p.  2,  c.  2,  a.  5. 

4  "Magnum  est  enim  in  quolibet  Sancto,  quando  habet  tantum  de 
gratia  quod  sufficit  ad  salutem  multorum;  sed,  quando  haberet  tantum 
quod  sufficeret  ad  salutem  omnium,  hoc  esset  maximum,  et  hoc  est  in 
Christo  et  in  Beata  Virgine." — Expos,  in  Sal.  Ang, 

5  "  Per  te  accessum  habeamus  ad  Filium,  o  Inventrix  gratise,  Mater 
salutis,  ut  per  te  nos  suscipiat,  qui  per  te  ciatus  est  nobis  !" — In  Adv. 
Dom.  s.  2. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.          4 1 1 

said  that  all  the  graces  that  we  receive  from  God  come 
to  us  through  Mary:  "God  has  placed  in  Mary  the 
plenitude  of  all  gifts.  Acknowledge,  then,  that  all  that 
there  is  in  us  of  hope,  of  grace,  of  salvation,  we  receive 
from  her  who  is  filled  with  delights.  She  is  truly  a  garden 
of  delights,  so  that  from  her  are  sent  forth  perfumes  the 
most  exquisite,  that  is,  gifts  and  graces  of  God."  !  The 
saint  assigns  the  following  reason  for  asserting  that  all 
the  divine  graces  come  to  us  through  the  hands  of  Mary: 
"  It  is  the  will  of  God  to  grant  us  all  the  graces  of  which 
we  stand  in  need."2  This  maybe  also  inferred  from  all 
the  texts  of  Scripture  which  the  holy  Church  applies  to 
Mary:  He  that  shall  find  me  shall  find  tife.3  In  me  is  all 
grace  of  the  way  and  of  the  truth.  .  .  .  They  that  work  by 
me  shall  not  sin.  They  that  explain  me  shall  have  life  ever 
lasting."  The  words  of  the  holy  Church,  in  the  Salve 
Regina,  in  which  she  calls  Mary  our  life  and  our  hope?  are 
sufficient  to  confirm  us  all  in  this  doctrine. 

Hence  St.  Bernard  exhorts  us  to  have  recourse  to  this 
divine  Mother,  with  a  secure  confidence  of  obtaining  the 
graces  that  we  ask  her  to  procure  for  us;  because  the 
Son  knows  not  how  to  refuse  anything  to  the  Mother/' 
Hence  the  saint  afterwards  calls  Mary  the  entire  ground 
of  his  hope:  "  My  children,  she  is  the  ladder  for  sinners; 

1  "Totiusboni  plenitudinem  posuit  (Deus)  in  Maria,  ut  proinde,  si 
quid  spei  in  nobis  est,  si  quid  gratiae,  si  quid  salutis,  ab  ea  noverimus 
redundare,  quse  ascendit  deliciis  affluens:  hortus  deliciarum,  ut  undique 
fluant  et  effluant    aromata  ejus,    charismata  scilicet   gratiarum." — De 
Aquced. 

2  "  Sic  est  voluntas  ejus  qui  totum  nos  habere  voluit  per  Mariam." 

3  "Qui  me_invenerit,  inveniet  vitam,  et  hauriet  salutem  a  Domino." 
Prov.  viii.  35. 

4  "  In  me  gratia  omnis  vise  et  veritatis;    in  me  omnis  spes  vitse  et 
virtutis.   .   .   .  Qui  operantur  in  me,  non  peccabunt.     Qui  elucidant  me, 
vitam  aeternam  habebunt." — Ecclus.  xxiv.  25. 

5  "  Vita,  Dulcedo,  et  Spes  nostra." 

6  "  Ad  Mariam  recurre;  non  dubius  dixerim,  exaudiet  utique  Matrem 
Filius." 


412  Material  for  Instructions.  CPARTII. 

she  is  the  greatest  motive  of  my  confidence;  she  is  the 
only  cause  of  my  hope."  ]  He  concludes  by  saying  that 
we  should  ask  all  the  graces  of  which  we  stand  in  need, 
through  Mary,  because  she  obtains  whatever  she  asks, 
and  her  prayers  cannot  be  rejected.2  Before  him  St. 
Ephrem  said  the  same:  "  O  most  sincere  Virgin  !  only  in 
thee  do  we  repose  confidence."  :  St.  Ildephonsus  teaches 
the  same  doctrine:  "  All  the  good  decreed  by  the  sublime 
majesty  for  the  benefit  of  men,  this  she  has  decreed  to 
be  conveyed  to  them  through  the  hands  of  Mary;  for 
to  thee,  O  Mary  !  has  been  intrusted  treasures  and 
ornaments  of  grace."  <  The  same  is  held  by  St.  Peter 
Damian:  "  In  thy  hands  are  all  the  treasures  of  divine 
mercies."5  St.  Bernardine  of  Sienna  says:  "Thou  art 
the  dispenser  of  all  graces;  our  salvation  rests  in  thy 
hands.'"  This,  too,  was  the  doctrine  of  St.  John  Da 
mascene,  of  St.  Germanus,  of  St.  Anselm,  of  St.  Anto- 
nine,  of  Idiota,  and  of  so  many  other  learned  authors, 
such  as  Segneri,  Pacciuchelli,  Crasset,  Vega,  Mendoza, 
and  Natalis  Alexander,  who  says:  "He  [God]  wishes 
that  we  should  receive  all  the  good  that  we  wish  from 
him  through  the  mediation  of  his  powerful  Mother,  by 
invoking  her  as  we  should. ":  Father  Contenson  has 

1  "  Filioli,  haec  peccatorum  scala,  haec  mea  maxima  fiducia  est,  haec 
tota  ratio  spei  meae." 

2  "Quaeramus  gratiam,  et  per  Mariam  quaeramus;  quia,  quod  quaerit, 
invenit,  et  frustrari  non  potest.'' — De  A  quad. 

3  "  Nobis  non  est  alia  quam  a  te  fiducia,  o  Virgo  sincerissima  !" — De 
Laud.  B.  M.   V. 

4  "  Omnia    bona  quae    illic   summa   Majestas   decrevit  facere,    tuis 
manibus  voluit  commendare;  commissi  quippe  sunt  tibi  thesauri  .   .   . 
et  ornamenta  gratiarum." — De  Cor.   Virg.  c.  15. 

5  "  In  manibus  tuis  sunt  thesauri  miserationum  Domini." — De  Nativ. 
s.  i. 

6  "  Tu  Dispensatrix  omnium  gratiarum;   salus  nostra  in   manu   tua 
est." 

1  "  Deus  vult  ut  omnia  bona  ab  ipso  exspectemus,  potentissima  Vir- 
ginis  Matris  intercessione,  cum  earn,  ut  par  est,  invocamus,  impe- 
tranda." — Ep.  50  in  cake  Theol. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         4 1 3 

also  held  this  opinion.  Explaining  the  words  of  Jesus 
Christ  on  the  cross  to  St.  John,  he  says:  "Behold  thy 
Mother.  As  if  he  said:  No  one  will  participate  in  my 
blood  except  through  the  mediation  of  my  Mother.  My 
wounds  are  the  fountains  of  all  graces,  but  these  foun 
tains  flow  only  through  Mary  upon  you.  O  my  disciple 
John,  as  much  as  you  love  her,  so  much  shalt  thou  be 
loved  by  me."  ' 

And  if,  on  account  of  the  moral  necessity  of  Mary's 
intercession  for  all,  every  Christian  ought  to  be  devoted 
to  the  Mother  of  God,  how  much  more  should  priests, 
who  are  bound  by  greater  obligations,  and  stand  in  need 
of  greater  graces  for  salvation,  practise  devotion  in  her 
honor  !  We  priests  should  remain  always  at  the  feet  of 
Mary,  asking  the  aid  of  her  prayers.  St.  Francis  Borgia 
had  great  doubts  about  the  salvation  of  those  that  have 
not  a  special  devotion  to  Mary;  because,  according  to 
St.  Antonine,  he  who  expects  graces  from  God  without 
the  intercession  of  Mary  attempts  to  fly  without  wings.2 
St.  Anselm  has  gone  so  far  as  to  say:  "  It  is  impossible 
to  be  saved  if  we  turn  away  from  thee,  O  Mary."3  St. 
Bonaventure  has  said  the  same:  "  He  that  neglects  her 
will  die  in  his  sins.'"  Blessed  Albertus  Magnus  says: 
'  The  people  that  do  not  serve  thee  will  perish."  5  And 
speaking  of  Mary,  Richard  of  St.  Laurence  says:  "All 
those  whom  this  ship  does  not  receive  are  lost  in  the  sea 

1  "  Ecce  Mater  tua  !  (John,  xix.  20);  quasi  diceret:  Nullus  sanguinis 
illius  particeps  erit,  nisi  intercessione  Matris  meae.     Vulnera  gratiarum 
fontes  sunt;  sed  ad  nullos  derivabantur  rivi,  nisi  per  Marianum  canalem. 
Joannes  discipule,  tantum  a  me  amaberis,  quantum  earn  amaveris." — 
Theol.  mcnt.  et  cord.  t.  2,  1.  10,  d.  4,  c.  I. 

2  "  Sine  alis  tentat  volare." — P.  4,  tit.  15,  c.  22. 

3  "  Omnis  a  te  aversus  necesse  est  ut  intereat." — Orat.  51. 

4  "Oui  neglexerit  illam,  morietur  in  peccatis  suis." — Psalt.  B.  V.ps. 
116. 

5  "Gens  quae  non  servierit  tibi,  peribit." — Bibl.  Mar.  Is.  n.  20. 


414  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

of  this  world."1  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who  is 
faithful  in  the  service  of  Mary  will  be  certainly  saved. 
"  O  Mother  of  God,"  says  St.  John  Damascene,  "  if  I  put 
my  confidence  in  you  I  shall  be  saved.  If  I  am  under 
your  protection  I  have  nothing  to  fear;  for  to  be  devoted 
to  you  is  to  have  certain  arms  of  salvation  which  God 
gives  only  to  those  whose  salvation  he  wills  in  a  special 


II. 

Confidence   that  we   should   have  in  the   Intercession  of  the 
Mother  of  God. 

Let  us  now  pass  to  the  confidence  which  we  ought  to 
have  in  the  intercession  of  Mary,  on  account  of  her  power 
and  mercy. 

I.  As  to  her  power.  Cosmas  of  Jerusalem  has  called 
the  intercession  of  our  Queen  not  only  powerful,  but 
omnipotent.3  And  Richard  of  St.  Laurence  has  writ 
ten:  "  From  the  omnipotent  Son  the  Mother  was  made 
omnipotent."  The  Son  is  omnipotent  by  nature,  the 
Mother  by  grace,  inasmuch  as  she  obtains  from  God 
whatsoever  she  asks.  That  this  grace  has  been  given  to 
Mary  we  may  infer  from  two  reasons:  first,  because  of 
all  creatures  Mary  has  been  the  most  faithful,  and  the 
greatest  lover  of  God.  Hence,  as  Suarez  says,  the  Lord 
loves  Mary  more  than  all  the  other  saints  and  all  the 
angels  together.  St.  Bridget  heard  our  Lord  one  day 
saying  to  his  Mother:  "  Mother,  ask  what  thou  desirest 

1  "  In  mare  mundi  submerguntur  omnes  illi,  quos  non  suscipit  Navis 
ista."— DC  Laud,  B.  M.  1.  n. 

2  Crasset,   Ve'r.  DL!V.  p.  I,  tr.  i,  q.  6. 

3  "  Omnipotens  auxilium  tuum,  o  Maria!" — Hymn.  6. 

4  "  Ab  omnipotente  Filio  omnipotens  Mater  est  effecta." — DC  Laud. 
B.  M.  1.  4. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         4 1 5 

of  Me;  for  thy  petition  cannot  be  in  vain.  .  .  ."  Then 
he  added:  "  For  since  on  earth  thou  didst  deny  Me 
nothing,  I  will  not  deny  thee  anything  in  heaven."1 
The  second  reason  is,  that  Mary  is  a  mother:  hence  St. 
Antonine  has  said,  that  her  prayers  partake  of  the  na 
ture  of  a  command,  because  they  are  the  prayers  of  a 
mother.2  St.  John  Damascene  says:  "  O  Lady,  thou 
hast  all  power  to  save  sinners;  thou  needest  no  other 
recommendation  to  God,  since  thou  art  his  mother."3 
And  St.  George  of  Nicomedia  has  written,  that  Jesus 
Christ,  in  order  to  discharge  the  obligations  that  he 
owed  in  a  certain  manner  to  Mary  for  having  given 
him  his  human  nature,  grants  whatever  she  asks  from 
him.4  Hence  St.  Peter  Damian  has  gone  so  far  as  to 
say,  that  when  Mary  goes  to  Jesus  to  ask  a  favor  for 
any  of  her  clients  "  she  approaches  the  altar  of  human 
reconciliation;  not  asking,  but  commanding,  not  as  a 
servant,  but  as  a  mistress;  for  the  Son  honors  her  by 
not  refusing  her  anything."  ' 

From  the  time  that  Mary  was  on  this  earth  she  had 
the  privilege  of  having  all  her  prayers  heard  by  her  Son. 
Speaking  of  Mary's  request 6  to  Jesus  to  provide  wine 
when  it  failed  at  the  marriage  of  Cana  in  Galilee,  St. 
John  Chrysostom  says,  that  though  the  Redeemer  ap 
peared  to  refuse  the  favor,  saying:  Woman,  what  is  to 

1  "  Mater,  pete  quod  vis  a  me;  non  enim  inanis  potest  esse  petitio 
tua.     Quia  tu  mihi  nihil  negasti  in  terra,  ego  tibi  nihil  negabo  in  coelo." 
— Rev.  1.  6,  c.  23;  1.  I,  c.  24. 

2  "  Oratio  Deiparae  habet  rationem  imperii;  unde  impossibile  est  earn 
non  exaudiri." — P.  4,  t.  15,  c.  17,  §.  4. 

a  In  Dorm.  B.   V.  s.  2. 

4  "  Filius,  quasi  exsolvens  debitum,  petitiones  tuas  implet."—  Orat. 
dc  Ingr.  B.   V. 

5  "  Accedis  ante  illud   humanae    reconciliationis    Altare,   non  solum 
rogans,  sed  imperans,  Domina,  non  ancilla;  nam  Filius,  nihil  negans, 
honorat  te." — In  Nat,  B.   V.  s.  i. 

6  "  Vinum  non  habent." — John,  ii.  3. 


4 1 6  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

Me  and  to  thee  ?  My  hour  has  not  yet  come?  still  he  granted 
the  petition  of  his  mother.2 

The  prayers  of  Mary,  says  St.  Germanus,  obtain  great 
graces  for  the  most  abandoned  sinners,  because  they 
are  prayers  accompanied  with  the  authority  of  a  mother/' 
In  a  word,  there  is  no  one,  however  wicked,  whom 
Mary  does  not  save  by  herintercession  when  she  wishes. 
Hence  St.  George,  Archbishop  of  Nicomedia,  says,  O 
great  Mother  of  God:  "  Thou  hast  insuperable  strength, 
since  the  multitude  of  our  sins  does  not  outweigh  thy 
clemency.  Nothing  resists  thy  power,  for  the  Creator 
regards  thy  honor  as  his  own."4  To  thee,  then,  O  my 
Queen,  says  St.  Peter  Damian,  nothing  is  impossible, 
since  thou  canst  succor  and  save  even  those  that  are  in 
despair.5 

II.  But  if  Mary  is  powerful,  and  able  to  save  us  by 
her  intercession,  she  is  equally  merciful,  and  willing  to 
obtain  our  salvation:  "Neither  the  power  nor  the  will 
is  wanting  to  her,"  6  says  St.  Bernard.  She  is  called  the 
Mother  of  Mercy,  because  her  compassion  for  us  makes 
her  love  and  assist  us  as  a  mother  assists  a  sick  child. 
The  love  of  all  mothers  together,  according  to  Father 
Nieremberg,7  is  not  equal  to  the  love  which  Mary  bears 


1  "Quid  mihi  et  tibi  est,  mulier  ?  nondum  venit  hora  mea." 

2  "  Et  licet  ita  respondent,  maternis  tamen  precibus  obtemperavit." 
— In  Jo .  horn.  21. 

3  "  Tu  autem,  materna  in  Deum  auctoritate  pollens,  etiam  iis,  qui 
enormiter  peccant,  gratiam  concilias;  non  enim  potesnonexaudiri,  cum 
Deus  tibi,  ut  verse  et  intemeratae  Matri,  in  omnibus  morem  gerat." — In 
Dorm.  Dcip.  s.  2. 

4  "  Habes  vires  insuperabiles,  ne  clementiam  tuam  superet  multitudo 
peccatorum.     Nihil  tuae  resistit  potentiae;  tuam  enim  gloriam  Creator 
existimat  esse  propriam." — Or.  de  Ingr.  B.   V. 

5  "  Nihil  tibi  impossibile,  cui  possibile  est  desperates  in  spem  beati- 
tudinis  relevare." — DC  Nat.  B.   V.  s.  I. 

6  "  Nee  facultas  ei  deesse  poterit,  nee  voluntas. " — In  Assumpt.  s.  I. 
1  DC  Aff.  crga  B.    V.  c.  14. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         4 1 7 

a  client  that  recommends  himself  to  her.  Hence  she  is 
compared  to  a  fair  olive  tree:  As  a  fair  olive  tree  in  the 
plains.1  "  In  the  plains,"  says  Cardinal  Hugo,  "  that  all 
may  look  upon  her,  that  all  may  have  recourse  to  her."2 
As  the  olive  gives  oil,  the  symbol  of  mercy,  to  him  who 
possesses  it,  so  Mary  pours  her  mercies  on  all  who  have 
recourse  to  her. 

Blessed  Amedeus  has  written,  that  our  Queen  is  con 
tinually  praying  for  us  in  heaven.3  And  before  him 
Venerable  Bede  said:  "Mary  stands  before  her  Son  and 
does  not  cease  to  pray  for  sinners."4  St.  Bernard  asks, 
What  else  but  mercy  can  flow  from  the  fountain  of 
mercy?5  St.  Bridget  once  heard  our  Saviour  saying  to 
Mary:  "Mother,  ask  what  you  wish  of  me."6  Mary 
answered:  "I  ask  mercy  for  the  miserable."7  As  if  she 
said:  Son,  since  you  have  made  me  the  Mother  of 
Mercy,  what  will  I  ask  of  you  ?  Nothing  else  than 
mercy  for  miserable  sinners.  The  great  charity,  says 
St.  Bernard,  that  reigns  in  the  heart  of  Mary  for  all, 
obliges  her  to  open  to  all  the  bosom  of  mercy.8 

St.  Bonaventure  says  that,  looking  at  Mary,  he  ap 
peared  no  longer  to  behold  the  divine  justice  that  terri 
fied  him,  but  only  the  divine  mercy  that  God  has  placed 

"  Quasi  oliva  speciosa  in  campis. " — Ecclus.  xxiv.  19. 

2  "  '  In  campis,'  ut  omnes  earn  respiciant,  omnes  ad  earn  confugiant. " 

3  "Adstat    Beatissima  Virgo  vultui   Conditoris,  prece    potentissima 
semper  interpellans  pro  nobis." 

"Stat  Maria  in  conspectu  Filii  sui,  non  cessans  pro  peccatoribus 
exorare." 

"  Quid  de  fonte  pietatis  procederet,  nisi  pietas  ?" — Dom.  i  p. 
Epiph.  s.  i 


"  Mater,  pete  quod  vis  a  me." — Rev.  1.  6,  c.  23. 


"  Misericordiam  peto  miseris." — Ib.  1.  i,  c.  50. 

Sapientibus  et  insipientibus  copiosissima  charitate  debitricem  se 
fecit;  omnibus  misericordiae  sinum  aperit,  ut  de  plenitudine  ejus  acci- 
piant  universi." — In  Sign.  magn. 
27 


41 8  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

in  the  hands  of  Mary,  that  she  may  assist  the  miserable.1 
And  St.  Leo  has  said  that  Mary  is  so  full  of  mercy  that 
she  is  called  mercy  itself.2  And  who  after  Jesus,  ex 
claims  St.  Germanus,  is  so  solicitous  for  our  welfare  as 
thou,  O  Mother  of  Mercy?3  Speaking  of  Mary,  St. 
Augustine  says:  "We  acknowledge  that  one,  namely, 
that  thou  alone,  takest  care  of  us  in  heaven. >M  As  if  he 
said:  O  Mother  of  God,  it  is  true  that  all  the  saints  love 
our  salvation,  but  thy  charity,  in  assisting  us  from  heaven, 
with  so  much  love,  and  heaping  on  us  so  many  graces, 
which  thou  continually  obtainest  for  us,  compels  us  to 
confess,  that  it  is  thou  alone  who  truly  loves  us,  and 
anxiously  seeks  our  welfare.  St.  Germanus  adds:  "Her 
defence  of  us  is  never  satisfied."1  Mary  prays  inces 
santly  for  us;  she  repeats  her  prayers,  and  is  never  tired 
praying  in  our  defence. 

Bernardine  De  Bustis  says  that  Mary  is  more  desirous 
of  dispensing  graces  to  us  than  we  are  of  receiving 
them/'  The  same  author  says  that  as  the  devil,  accord 
ing  to  St.  Peter,  goes  about  seeking  whom  he  may  de 
vour,7  so  Mary  goes  about  seeking  whom  she  may  save.8 

1  "  Certe,  Domina  !   cum  te  aspicio,  nihil  nisi  misericordiam  cerno; 
nam  pro  miseris  Mater  Dei  facta  es,  et  tibi  miserendi  est  officium  com- 
missum." — Stim.  div.  am.  p.  3,  c.  19. 

2  "Maria  adeo  praedita  est  misericordise  visceribus,  ut,  non  tantum 
misericors,  sed  ipsa  Misericordia  dici  promereatur." 

3  "Quis,  post  Filium  tuum,  curam   gerit  generis   humani,  sicut   tu? 
Quis  ita  nos  defendit  in  nostris  affiictionibus  ?     Quis  pugnat  pro  pecca- 
toribus?     Propterea,  patrocinium  tuum  majus  est,   quam  comprehend  i 
possit.''— De  Zona  Deip. 

4  "Te  solam,  o  Maria  !  pro  Sa-ncta  Ecclesia  sollicitam  prae  omnibus 
Sanctis  scimus." — S.  Bonav.  Spec.  B.  V.  lect.  6. 

5  "  Non  est  satietas  defensionis  ejus." — De  Zona  Deip. 

6  "  Plus  desiderat  ipsa  facere  tibi  bonum  et  largiri  gratiam,  quam  tu 
accipere  concupiscas." 

7  "  Circuit  quaerens  quem  devoret." — i  Pet.  v.  8. 

8  "  Ipsa   semper   circuit  quaerens  quem  salvet." — Maria  I   p.  2,  s    5; 
p.  3,  s-  I- 


INSTR.  xi.i    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         419 

Who,  I  ask,  receives  grace  from  Mary? — he  who  wishes 
for  them.  A  holy  soul  used  to  say,  to  obtain  graces 
through  Mary  it  is  enough  to  ask  them.  And  St.  Ilde- 
phonsus  has  written,  that  we  ought  to  ask  nothing  of 
Mary  but  to  pray  for  us;  for  by  her  prayers  she  will 
obtain  for  us  greater  graces  than  we  could  ask.1  How, 
then,  does  it  happen  that  there  are  many  who  do  not 
receive  graces  through  the  prayers  of  Mary?  Because 
they  do  not  wish  for  them.  He  who  is  attached  to  any 
passion,  to  self-interest,  to  ambition,  to  an  inordinate 
affection,  does  not  wish  for  grace  to  be  delivered  from 
it,  and  therefore  he  does  not  ask  it:  had  he  asked  it  of 
Mary,  she  would  certainly  have  obtained  it  for  him. 
But  miserable  and  unhappy  the  man,  said  the  Holy 
Virgin  to  St.  Bridget,  who,  having  it  in  his  power  to 
have  recourse  to  me  in  this  life,  shall,  through  his  own 
fault  remain  miserably  in  his  sins  and  in  the  state  of 
perdition.2  A  time  shall  come  when  he  would  wish,  but 
will  not  be  able,  to  have  recourse  to  her. 

Ah  !  let  us  not  expose  ourselves  to  this  great  danger. 
Let  us  always  have  recourse  to  this  divine  Mother,  who 
knows  not  how  to  let  any  one  who  invokes  her  aid  de 
part  without  consolation,  says  Blosius.3  Mary  is  always 
ready,  as  Richard  of  St.  Laurence  says,  to  assist  those 
who  ask  her  prayers.4  According  to  Richard  of  St. 
Victor,  Mary's  tenderness  prevents  our  supplications, 
and  procures  aid  for  us  before  we  pray  to  her.  Because, 
adds  the  same  author,  Mary  is  so  full  of  mercy  that  she 


1  "  Majori  devotione  orabis  pro  me,  quam  ego  auderem  petere;  et 
majora  etiam  impetrabis  mihi,  quam  petere  pnesumam." — De  Rhet. 
div.  c.  1 8. 

"  Ideo  miser  erit,  qui  ad  misericordiam,  cum  possit,  non  accedit!" — 
Rev.  1.  2,  c.  23. 

3  "  Adeo  feci  earn  mitem,  ut  neminem  a  se  redire  tristem  sinat." — 
Alloq.  1.  i,  p.  4,  can.  12. 

4  "Semper  paratam  auxiliari." — De  Laud.  B.  M.  1.  2,  p.  i. 


420  Material  for  Instructions.          [PART  n. 

cannot  see  our  miseries  without  coming  to  our  re 
lief.1 

And  who,  exclaims  Innocent  III.,  has  ever  had  recourse 
to  Mary  without  being  heard?'2  Who,  says  Blessed 
Eutichianus,  has  ever  sought  her  aid  and  has  been 
abandoned  by  her?3  St.  Bernard  has  written:  "O  holy 
Virgin,  if  a  man  has  been  ever  found  who,  after  invoking 
your  aid,  remembers  not  to  have  obtained  relief,  I  am 
satisfied  that  he  should  cease  to  praise  your  mercy.4 
No:  such  a  case  has  never  occurred,  and  never  shall 
occur;  for,  says  St.  Bonaventure,  Mary  cannot  but  pity 
and  relieve  the  miserable.5  Hence  the  saint  has  said, 
that  this  Mother  of  mercy,  who  so  ardently  desires  to 
assist  us  and  to  see  us  saved,  is  offended  not  only  by 
those  who  do  her  a  positive  injury,  but  also  by  those 
who  neglect  to  ask  favors  from  her.6 

Let  us  then  have  recourse  to  Mary;  and  in  seeing 
that  our  sins  render  us  unworthy  to  be  heard,  let  us  not 
distrust  her  clemency.  Our  Lord  revealed  to  St.  Bridget 
that  Mary  would  have  saved  Lucifer  by  her  intercession 
had  that  haughty  demon  humbled  himself  and  had  re 
course  to  her.7  And  the  Virgin  herself  said  to  the  same 

1  "A  Deo  pietate  replentur  ubera  tua,  ut,  alicujus  miseriae  notitia 
tacta,  lac  fundant  misericordiae,  nee  possis  miserias  scire  et  non  sub- 
venire." — In  Cant.  c.  23. 

2  "Quis  invocavit  earn,  et  non  est  exauditus  ab  ipsa?" — De  A ssumpt. 
s.  2. 

3  "  Quis,  o  Domina  !   fideliter  omnipotentem  tuam  rogavit  opem,  et 
fuit  derelictus  ?  revera  nullus  unquam." — Surius,  4  Febr.  Vit.  S.  Theoph. 

4  "  Sileat  misericordiam  tuam,  Virgo  Beata,  qui  invocatam  te  in  neces- 
sitatibus  suis  sibi  meminerit  defuisse." — De  Assttmpt.  s.  4. 

5  "  Ipsa  enim  non  misereri  ignorat,  et  miseris  non  satisfacere  nun- 
quam  scivit." — Stint,  am.  p.  3,  c.  13. 

6  "  In  te,  Domina,  peccant,  non  solum  qui  tibi  injuriam  irrogant,  sed 
etiam  qui  te  non  rogant." 

7  "  Etiam  diabolo  exhiberes  misericordiam,  si  humiliter  peteret." — 
Rev.  extr.  c.  50. 


INSTR.  xi.]    Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         42 1 

St.  Bridget,  that  when  a  sinner  casts  himself  at  her  feet 
she  regards  not  his  sins,  but  the  intention  with  which  he 
comes.  If  he  comes  with  a  determination  to  change  his 
life,  she  heals  and  saves  him.1  Hence  St.  Bonaventure 
called  Mary  the  salvation  of  them  who  invoke  her.2  He 
that  has  recourse  to  Mary  shall  be  saved. 

III. 
Practice  of  Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

I  repeat,  then,  let  us  always  have  recourse  to  this  great 
Mother  of  God,  imploring  her  to  protect  us.  But  the 
better  to  gain  her  protection,  let  us  endeavor  to  perform 
in  her  honor  as  many  pious  exercises  as  we  can.  That 
ardently  devoted  servant  of  Mary,  Brother  John  Berch- 
mans,  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  being  asked  at  death  by 
his  companions  what  they  should  do  in  order  to  obtain 
the  favor  of  Mary,  said:  "However  little  it  may  be, 
provided  it  be  done  with  perseverance."5  Every  little 
act  of  devotion  is  sufficient  to  secure  the  patronage  of 
this  divine  Mother.  She  is  content  with  any  little  exer 
cise,  provided  it  be  constant;  for,  as  St.  Andrew  of  Crete 
says,  she  is  so  liberal  that  she  is  accustomed  to  reward 
the  smallest  homage  by  obtaining  abundant  graces.4 
But  we  should  not  be  content  with  small  things:  let  us 
at  least  offer  her  all  the  acts  of  devotion  which  her 
clients  ordinarily  perform  in  her  honor;  such  as,  to  re 
cite  the  Rosary  every  day,  to  perform  the  Novenas  of 

1  "  Quantumcumque  homo   peccet,  si  ex  vera  emendatione  ad    me 
reversus  fuerit,  statim  parata  sum  recipere  revertentem;    nee   attendo 
quantum  peccaverit,  sed  cum  quali  voluntate  venit;  nam  non  dedignor 
ejus  plagas  ungere  et  sanare,  quia  vocor  (et  vere  sum)  Mater  miseri 
cord  ise." — Rev.  1.  2,  c.  23;  1.  6,  c.  17. 

2  "  O  Salus  te  invocantium  r—Cant.  p.  Psalt. 

3  "Quidquid  minimum,  dummodo  sit  constans." 

4  "  Cum  sit  rmgnificentissima,  solet 'maxima  pro  minimis  reddere." — 
In  Dorm.  B.  V.  s.  q, 


422  Material  for  Institutions.          [PART  n. 

her  festivals,  to  fast  on  Saturday,  to  wear  the  Scapular, 
to  visit  some  image  every  day  in  her  honor,  asking  her 
to  obtain  some  special  grace,  to  read  each  day  a  book 
that  treats  of  her  praises,  to  salute  her  in  leaving  and 
returning  home;  rising  in  the  morning  and  going  to  bed 
at  night,  to  put  ourselves  under  her  protection,  by  say 
ing  three  "  Hail  Marys"  in  honor  of  her  purity. 

Even  seculars  practise  these  devotions;  but  we  priests 
can  honor  her  much  more  by  preaching  her  glories,  and 
by  inculcating  to  others  the  advantages  of  being  devoted 
to  her:  They  that  explain  Me  shall  have  life  everlasting? 
She  promises  eternal  life  to  him  who  endeavors  in  this 
life  to  make  others  know  and  love  her.  Blessed  Edminco, 
Bishop,  began  every  sermon  by  the  praises  of  Mary.  This 
was  so  pleasing  to  the  divine  Mother,  that  she  one  day 
said  to  St.  Bridget:  "  Tell  that  prelate  that  I  will  be  a 
mother  to  him,  and  that  at  death  I  will  present  his  soul 
to  my  Son."5  Oh,  what  pleasure  would  a  priest  give  to 
Mary,  if  every  Saturday  he  made  a  short  discourse  to 
the  people  on  devotion  to  her,  and  especially  on  her 
tender  compassion  for  us,  and  her  desire  to  assist  all 
who  pray  to  her !  For,  as  St.  Bernard  says,  it  is  the 
mercy  of  Mary  that  inspires  in  the  people  the  greatest 
affection  for  her  devotion.  Let  preachers  at  least  en 
deavor  in  every  sermon,  before  the  conclusion,  to  exhort 
the  hearers  to  have  recourse  to  most  holy  Mary,  and  to 
ask  some  favor  from  her: 

In  a  word,  Richard  of  St.  Laurence  says  that  he  who 
honors  Mary  acquires  treasures  of  eternal  life.3  For 
this  purpose  I  published  some  years  since  a  book  en 
titled  the  Glories  of  Mary,  and  I  endeavored  to  enrich  it 

1  "  Qui  elucidant  me,  vitam  aeternam  habebunt." — Ecclus.  xxiv.  31. 

2  Rev.  cxtr.  c.  104.       • 

3  "  Honorare    Mariarn,    thesaurizare  est    sibi  vitam   aeternam." — De 
Laud,  B,  M.  1.  2,  p.  I. 


INSTR.  xi.i   Devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.         423 

with  authorities  from  Scriptures  and  the  holy  Fathers, 
with  examples  and  devout  practices,  not  only  that  it 
might  be  useful  to  all  as  a  book  for  spiritual  reading, 
but  particularly  that  it  might  supply  priests  with  abun 
dant  matter  for  preaching  the  praises  of  Mary,  and  in 
spiring  the  people  with  devotion  to  her. 


APPENDIX. 


St.  Alphonsus  himself  has  added,  as  an  appendix  to  his 
Collection  of  Materials  for  Ecclesiastical  Retreats,  the 
three  following  little  works:  RULE  OF  LIFE,  SPIRITUAL 
RULES,  and  SPIRITUAL  MAXIMS.  To  them  we  have  add 
ed  an  EXHORTATION  TO  YOUNG  MEN  WHO  ARE  DEVOTING 
THEMSELVES  TO  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL 
SCIENCES. — EDITOR. 


little  of  £ife  for  a  Serttlar  Priest, 
i. 

Morning  Exercises. 

i.  THE  FIRST  ACTS  ON  RISING. 

IN  the  morning  on  rising  the  priest  shall  make  acts  of 
thanksgiving,  of  love,  and  of  oblation  of  all  that  he  is  to 
do  arid  to  suffer  during  the  day.  He  shall  finish  by  a 
prayer  to  God  and  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  grace  of  not  falling  into  sin. 

These  acts  may  be  thus  formulated:1 

0  my  God  !   prostrate  in  Thy  presence,  I  adore  Thy 
infinite  Majesty,  and  I  submit  myself  entirely  to  Thee. 

1  believe  in  Thee,  I  hope  in  Thee,  and  I  love  Thee 
with  my  whole  heart. 

I  thank  Thee  for  all  Thy  benefits,  and  especially  for 
having  preserved  me  during  this  night. 

I  offer  Thee  all  my  thoughts,  words,  actions,  and 
sufferings  of  this  day  in  union  with  those  of  Jesus  and 
of  Mary. 

I  intend  to  gain  all  the  indulgences  that  I  can  gain, 
and  to  apply  them  to  the  souls  in  purgatory. 

0  my  God  !  for  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  deliver  me 
from  every  sin.     O  my  Jesus  !  by  Thy  merits  make  me 
li^e  united  to  Thee.     Mary,  my  Mother,  bless  me,  and 
protect  me  under  thy  mantle.     My  holy  guardian  angel, 
and  all  my  holy  patrons,  intercede  for  me.     Amen. 

Here  recite  the  "  Hail  Mary"  three  times  in  honor  of 
the  purity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

1  We  have  thought  it  useful  to  add  here  the  formula  which  the  saint 
gives  elsewhere  in  several  places. — ED. 


428  Appendix. 


2.  MENTAL  PRAYER. 

The  priest  shall  begin  the  day  by  a  half-hour's  medi 
tation  on  the  eternal  truths,  or  on  the  Passion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Meditation  on  the  Passion  of  our  Lord  is  more 
especially  suitable  to  a  priest  before  celebrating  Mass, 
since  he  is  about  to  renew  at  the  altar  the  memory  of  it 
by  offering  to  God  the  same  victim  and  the  same  sacri 
fice.  During  meditation,  after  having  read  the  subject, 
he  should  endeavor  to  make  acts  of  sorrow  and  of  love, 
and  frequently  offer  to  God  prayers  in  order  to  obtain 
perseverance  in  his  grace  and  his  divine  love.  Let  him 
guard  against  abandoning  meditation,  however  great 
the  disgust  and  the  pain  he  may  experience  during  it;  if 
he  abandons  the  practice  of  meditation,  he  will  be  ex 
posed  to  the  greatest  danger  of  losing  God.  Even 
when  he  is  able  to  say  only  these  words:  O  my  God, 
help  me  !  O  my  Jesus,  mercy  ! — his  meditation  will  be 
excellent,  and  will  profit  him  much. 

In  order  to  be  more  recollected  in  meditation,  let  him 
shut  himself  up  in  some  place  where  he  may  find  him 
self  alone  with  the  crucifix.  For  this  purpose  he  shall 
endeavor  to  have  a  separate  room;  and  if  he  cannot 
have  it,  let  him  go  to  the  church  to  make  his  meditation 
there  rather  than  make  it  at  home  amid  the  noise  made 
by  persons  who  pass  in  and  out,  and  who  talk.1 

3.  THE  HOLY  MASS. 

After  meditation,  he  shall  recite  the  Little  Hours  as 
far  as  None;  then  he  shall  celebrate  Mass.  In  order  to 
say  Mass  with  greater  recollection,  it  would  be  expedi- 

1  To  understand  this  passage  and  others  of  a  like  nature,  we  must 
know  that  many  secular  priests  in  Italy  remained  with  their  families, 
having  no  special  employment;  this  was  the  case  with  St.  Alphonsus 
himself  at  the  beginning  of  his  priestly  life. — ED. 


Rule  of  Life.  429 

ent,  if  there  be  no  obstacle,  to  say  Mass  before  all  other 
occupations  of  the  day. 

Besides  the  meditation  one  should  not  fail  to  make  a 
short  preparation  for  Mass  by  reanimating  one's  faith  in 
the  great  mystery  that  one  is  about  to  celebrate;  one 
should  make  at  least  three  acts:  of  love,  of  contrition, 
and  of  desire  to  be  united  to  Jesus  Christ. 

After  Mass  one  should  not  omit  to  make  thanksgiving, 
of  an  hour  or  at  least  of  half  an  hour,  by  applying  one's 
self  during  that  time  to  the  making  of  acts  of  love,  of 
the  offering  of  one's  self,  and  of  petition.  The  time  that 
follows  Mass  is  a  time  for  amassing  treasures  of  grace. 
When  one  is  in  a  state  of  interior  dryness,  not  knowing 
what  to  do  with  one's  self,  one  may  at  least  read  out  of 
some  book  pious  affections  to  Jesus  Christ. 

4.  CONFESSIONS  AND  STUDY. 

After  having  made  his  thanksgiving,1  the  priest  shall 
go  to  the  confessional  if  he  is  a  confessor.  It  must  here 
be  observed  that  on  days  on  which  there  is  a  great  con 
course  of  people,  as  on  festivals,  he  may  shorten  his 
thanksgiving  in  order  to  hear  confessions;  but  this  only 
holds  good  for  similar  cases  that  are  rare.  Usually 
the  confessor  should  not  omit  his  thanksgiving  after 
Mass  in  order  that  penitents  may  not  be  obliged  to  wait 
for  him.  However,  when  there  come  to  confession  men 
that  are  not  accustomed  to  frequent  the  sacraments,  it 
will  be  better  if  he  hears  them  before  Mass;  because 
such  persons  have  not  the  patience  to  wait;  and  if  they 
do  not  confess  on  that  day,  God  knows  when  they  will 
confess. 

As  for  the  priest  who  is  not  a  confessor,  he  shall  retire 
in  order  to  attend  to  his  studies.  He  should  occupy 

1  We  may  remark  that  nothing  is  said  about  breakfast,  because  in 
Italy,  generally,  no  meal  is  taken  as  in  the  countries  of  the  north,  but 
dinner  is  taken  earlier. — ED. 


43°  Appendix. 

himself  in  the  study  of  Moral  Theology,  so  as  to  become 
capable  of  administering  the  sacrament  of  penance,  in 
the  composition  of  sermons,  or  in  similar  things  that 
may  serve  for  his  own  instruction  or  for  the  good  of 
souls. 

5.  REMARK  IN  REGARD  TO  THE  ORDER  OF  THE  EXERCISES. 

It  must  here  be  observed  that  we  do  not  ask  that  al 
the  exercises  of  which  this  Rule  speaks  should  be  per 
formed  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  here  mentioned. 
Provided  that  they  are  performed  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  it  is  sufficient;  it  matters  little  whether  one  takes 
place  before  the  other  according  to  one's  convenience. 
Thus,  for  example,  in  winter,  when  the  days  are  longer, 
one  may,  after  meditation  and  the  Office,  study  for  an 
hour  or  two.  For  the  rest,  a  priest  that  wishes  to  lead 
a  life  worthy  of  his  state  should  fix  the  time  and  the 
hour  of  all  his  exercises  so  that  everything  may  be  done 
in  a  regular  order.  Let  him  not  act  as  some  who  follow 
no  order  in  all  that  they  do.  The  life  that  is  without  a 
rule  is  an  image  of  hell,  which  is  described  by  Job:  A 
land  of  misery  and  darkness,  where  the  shadow  of  death,  and 
no  order,  but  everlasting  horror  dwelleth? 

6.  DINNER. 

The  hour  of  dinner  having  come,  he  shall  eat  moder 
ately,  as  is  becoming  a  priest:  he  should  not  imitate  cer 
tain  gluttonous  priests  who  wish  that  the  whole  house 
should  busy  itself  about  preparing  different  kinds  of  food 
which  they  ordered  in  the  morning,  and  when  at  dinner 
they  do  not  find  the  food  to  be  according  to  their  taste, 
they  grow  angry,  and  excite  a  commotion  among  their 
servants  and  relatives.  St.  Philip  Neri  says:  "He  that 
seeks  to  gratify  his  palate  will  never  become  a  saint." 

1  "  Terram  miserise  et  tenebrarum,  ubi  umbra  mortis,  et  nullus  orao, 
sed  sempiternus  horror  inhabitat." — Job,  x.  22. 


Rule  of  Life.  431 

And  if  the  priest  should  be  temperate  in  eating,  he 
should  be  particularly  so  in  the  use  of  wine,  the  excess 
of  which  is  most  pernicious  to  virtue,  especially  to  the 
virtue  of  chastity. 

On  Saturdays,  let  him  endeavor,  in  honor  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  to  keep  at  least  the  common  fast,  if  he 
thinks  that  he  cannot  fast  on  bread  and  water;  let  him, 
however,  be  content  on  that  day  with  one  course.  More 
over,  on  some  other  days  of  the  week,  as  on  Wednesday 
and  Friday,  as  also  in  all  the  Novenas  of  our  Lady,  let 
him  at  least  deprive  himself  of  something  at  table. 

II. 

Exercises  after  Dinner, 
i.  SPIRITUAL  READING. 

After  the  needed  rest,  the  priest  shall  recite  Vespers 
and  Compline,  and  shall  afterwards  make  a  half-hour's 
spiritual  reading.  For  the  spiritual  reading  he  may  use 
the  Knowledge  and  Love  of  Jesus  Christ  by  Father  St. 
Jure,  or  Christian  Perfection  by  Father  Rodriguez, — 
books  that  are  filled  with  piety  and  unction.  He  may 
also  read  other  works; *  but  let  him,  above  all,  read  the 
lives  of  the  saints,  as  the  life  of  St.  Philip  Neri,  of  St. 
Francis  Borgia,  of  St.  Peter  of  Alcantara,  and  the  like. 
In  the  books  that  treat  of  spirituality  we  see  virtues  in 
theory,  while  in  the  lives  of  the  saints  we  see  them  in 
practice;  and  this  will  stimulate  us  more  efficaciously 
to  imitate  the  saints.  St.  Philip  Neri  never  ceased  to 
exhort  his  penitents  to  read  the  lives  of  the  saints. 
How  many  saints,  such  as  St.  John  Colombini,  St.  Ig 
natius  Loyola,  St.  Teresa,  have  been  induced  by  the 

1  It  may  perhaps  be  needless  to  recall  here  to  mind  the  ascetical 
works  written  by  St.  Alphonsus  himself.  Many  well-instructed  priests 
avow  that  they  seek  no  other  books  of  piety,  because  they  find  all  that 
they  desire  in  those  of  the  holy  bishop,  who  seems  to  have  provided  for 
all  the  wants  of  the  soul. — ED. 


432  Appendix. 

reading  of  such  books  to  consecrate  themselves  entirely 
to  God  ! 


2.  THE  VISIT  TO  THE  BLESSED  SACRAMENT  AND  TO  THE  BLESSED 

VIRGIN. 

After  the  spiritual  reading  he  shall  pay  a  visit  to  the 
Blessed  Sacrament.  Many  of  the  faithful  are  very  exact 
in  performing  this  exercise  every  day,  and  never  omit 
doing  so,  no  matter  how  they  may  be  inconvenienced 
thereby;  but  it  is  rare,  and  even  very  rare,  to  find  secu 
lar  priests  who  do  so.  It  must  be  confessed  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  unfortunate  in  his  priests !  All  this  comes 
from  the  little  love  that  priests  have  for  him.  He  that 
tenderly  loves  a  friend,  seeks  to  see  him  as  often  as  he 
can,  especially  when  his  visits  are  most  agreeable  to  this 
friend. 

By  this  visit  I  do  not  mean  only  a  few  "  Our  Fathers" 
said  in  passing  and  with  distraction  before  the  altar. 
It  consists  in  occupying  one's  self  during  some  time  in 
making  pious  affections  to  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  in  asking  of  him  graces,  especially  the 
grace  of  final  perseverance  and  of  his  holy  love.  Alas  ! 
who  should  entertain  himself  oftener  and  longer  than 
a  priest  who  every  day  makes  Jesus  come  down  from 
heaven  to  the  earth,  takes  him  in  his  hands,  partakes  of 
his  adorable  flesh,  and  moreover  for  his  own  benefit  shuts 
him  up  in  the  tabernacle  where  he  may  find  him  present 
every  time  that  he  wishes  ? 

After  the  visit  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament  he  should  not 
omit  to  make,  in  the  same  church,  his  visit  to  the  Mother 
of  God,  before  some  image  that  inspires  him  with  the 
greatest  devotion.1 

1  We  all  know  the  Visits  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  which  are  found  in  Volume  VI.  This  precious  little  work  is 
also  published  separately. — ED. 


Rule  of  Life.  433 

3.  RECREATION. 

He  may  then  recreate  himself  for  some  time  by  walk 
ing  either  in  the  country  or  on  some  solitary  road,  in 
company  with  a  Father  or  some  other  spiritual  person 
who  speaks  of  God  and  not  of  the  world.  In  the  absence 
of  such  a  person  he  should  walk  alone;  for  if  he  is  ac 
companied  by  some  secular  he  will  soon  lose  all  the 
recollection  that  he  has  found  in  his  exercises  of  piety. 
If  in  his  moments  of  leisure  he  visits  the  place  where  the 
moral  conference  is  held,  he  will  do  better;  he  will  find 
there  recreation,  and  what  will  be  profitable  to  him. 

III. 
Exercises  of  the  Evening. 

i.  BEFORE  SUPPER. 

Towards  evening  it  is  befitting  that  the  priest  should 
make  another  half-hour's  meditation;  it  will  be  better  if 
he  makes  it  when  possible  with  all  the  persons  of  the 
house,  reading  the  points  of  meditation  himself,  and  fin 
ishing  by  reciting  the  Christian  acts. 

Then  he  should  recite  Matins  and  Lauds,  and  after 
wards  devote  himself  to  another  hour's  study. 

Afterwards  he  shall  recite  five  decades  of  the  Rosary, 
also  with  the  people  of  the  house,  taking  care  to  announce 
the  mysteries  on  which  the  meditation  should  be  made; 
he  shall  finish  by  saying  the  Litany  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 

2.  SUPPER. 

The  Rosary  shall  be  followed  by  supper.  He  should 
observe  greater  sobriety  at  supper  than  at  dinner;  for  if 
in  the  evening  one  takes  too  much  food,  it  will  happen 
that  in  the  morning,  when  so  many  important  duties  are 
to  be  fulfilled, — meditation,  the  saying  of  Mass,  the  hear 
ing  of  confessions, — one  will  suffer  not  only  in  the 


434  Appendix. 

stomach,  but  also  in  the  head,  so  that  everything  will  be 
done  with  distraction  and  tepidity, -and  the  half  of  it 
will  be  lost. 

3.  THE  LAST  ACTS  BEFORE  GOING  TO  BED. 

After  supper  the  priest  shall  make  the  examination  of 
conscience,  to  be  followed  by  the  act  of  contrition  and 
by  other  pious  acts;  then  after  having  recited,  with  the 
face  on  the  floor,  the  "  Hail  Mary"  three  times,  and  after 
the  usual  practices  in  honor  of  the  holy  patrons,  he 
should  go  to  bed. 

The  following  is  the  act  that  we  may  recite  before 
going  to  bed: 1 

0  my  God  !  I  thank  Thee  for  having  preserved  me 
this  day,  and  I  beseech  Thee  to  vouchsafe  to  preserve 
me  also  this  night,  and  to  protect  me  from  all  evil.     I 
take  this  repose  in  order  to  please  Thee,  and  I  intend 
each  moment  that  I  breathe  to  love  and  praise  Thee,  as 
is  done  by  the  saints  and  the  elect  in  heaven. 

Mary,  my  Mother,  bless  me,  and  protect  me  under 
thy  mantle.  My  angel  guardian,  and  all  my  holy 
Patrons,  intercede  for  me. 

IV. 
Exercises  that  are  not  Performed  Every  Day. 

i.  CONFESSION. 

The  priest  should  confess  twice  or  at  least  once  a 
week.  He  should  not  fail  to  have  a  particular  Director, 
on  whom  it  will  be  his  duty  to  depend  in  all  his  spiritual 
exercises,  and  even  in  all  the  temporal  affairs  that  may 
be  of  profit  to  his  soul. 

2.  THE  MONTHLY  RETREAT. 

Every  month  he  shall  make  a  day  of  retreat;  on  this 
day  he  should  keep  aloof  from  all  temporal  affairs,  and 

1  We  add  this  simple  formula  as  we  have  done  above  for  the  morn 
ing  exercise. — ED. 


Rule  of  Life.  435 

even  from  spiritual  occupations  that  regard  his  neighbor. 
Having  retired  to  his  own  home  or  to  some  religious 
house,  he  shall  occupy  himself  in  silence  only  with  him 
self,  consecrating  the  whole  day  to  prayer,  to  spiritual 
reading,  to  visiting  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  and  to  other 
similar  exercises.  Oh  what  strength  does  not  the  soul 
draw  from  these  retreats,  to  be  able  to  unite  itself  inti 
mately  with  God,  and  to  walk  more  fervently  in  the  ways 
of  the  Lord  on  the  following  days  ! 1 

3.  SPECIAL  COUNSELS. 

In  temptations,  especially  in  those  against  purity,  he 
shall  renew  the  resolution  to  suffer  rather  a  thousand 
deaths  than  to  offend  God;  then  he  shall  have  recourse 
at  once  to  Jesus  and  to  Mary  by  invoking  their  holy 
names  until  the  violence  of  the  temptation  has  subsided. 

He  should  be  careful  to  dress  modestly,  always  wear 
ing  long  clothes,  and  never  those  that  are  of  silk. 

Let  him  keep  from  all  banquets,  the  amusements  of 
the  world,  the  reunions  with  seculars,  especially  where 
there  are  women. 

1  There  is  no  question  here  of  the  annual  retreat. — ED. 


436  Appendix. 


Spiritual  ftuies  for  a  Driest  rolio  Aspires  to  perfection. 

i.  To  AVOID  SIN,  AND  TROUBLE  AFTER  SIN. 

A  PRIEST  who  aspires  to  perfection  and  desires  to 
sanctify  himself  should,  above  all,  endeavor  to  avoid 
more  than  death  the  least  deliberate  venial  sin.  In  the 
present  state  of  human  frailty,  since  Adam's  sin,  no  one 
can,  and  no  one  ever  could,  with  the  exception  only  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  most  Blessed  Mother,  be  exempt 
from  all  indeliberate  venial  faults.  With  the  help  of  God, 
however,  every  one  can  avoid  every  deliberate  fault; 
that  is  to  say,  committed  with  full  advertence  and  con 
sent;  thus  the  saints  have  acted.  He,  therefore,  who 
tends  to  perfection  should  make  up  his  mind  rather  to 
allow  himself  to  be  cut  to  pieces  than  to  tell,  with  full 
knowledge,  a  lie,  or  to  commit  any  other  venial  sin,  how 
ever  small  it  may  be. 

Such  should  be  his  resolution;  but  if  unfortunately 
he  happens  to  fall  into  a  fault,  either  deliberate  or  inde 
liberate,  let  him  beware  of  troubling  and  disquieting 
himself.  Disquietude  does  not  come  from  God;  it  is  a 
smoke  that  comes  only  from  the  abode  of  disquietude 
itself,  namely,  from  hell;  and  it  comes  to  us  from  that 
place  because,  as  St.  Aloysius  has  justly  said,  the 
devil  always  finds  something  to  fish  in  troubled  waters. 
When  one  has,  for  example,  committed  a  fault  one  is 
troubled,  and  one  is  troubled  because  one  has  been 
troubled.  In  this  state  of  disquietude  we  shall  not  only 
be  unable  to  do  any  good,  but  we  shall  also  easily  com 
mit  many  other  faults,  either  of  impatience  or  of  some 
other  kind.  Hence,  as  soon  as  the  fault  has  been  com- 


Spiritual  Rules.  437 

mitted,  we  must  humble  ourselves  and  immediately  have 
recourse  to  God  by  making  an  act  of  love  or  of  contri 
tion  with  the  firm  purpose  of  amendment;  then  we  ask 
with  confidence  for  the  grace  of  which  we  stand  in  need 
by  saying:  O  Lord  !  see  what  I  am  able  to  do;  and  if 
Thou  withdrawest  Thy  hand  from  me  I  shall  do  still 
worse.  I  love  Thee;  I  repent  of  the  displeasure  that  I 
have  caused  Thee,  and  I  will  do  so  no  more;  grant  me 
the  help  that  I  hope  to  receive  from  Thy  goodness. 

After  having  done  this  we  should  be  calm,  as  if  we 
had  not  committed  any  fault;  and  if  we  fall  back,  even 
on  the  same  day,  let  us  do  the  same  thing.  Should  we 
even  fall  a  hundred  times,  we  should  always  act  in  the 
same  way,  namely,  we  should  humble  ourselves,  we 
should  rise  again,  we  must  never  remain  down. 

It  must  be  observed  that  to  trouble  one's  self  after  a 
fault  has  been  committed  is  an  effect  not  of  humility, 
but  of  pride;  since  we  are  sorry  for  the  fault  not  be 
cause  we  have  offended  God,  but  rather  because  we  are 
ashamed  to  appear  before  him  so  defiled.  The  priest 
should,  therefore,  never  trouble  himself  on  account  of 
the  faults  into  which  he  falls;  but  let  him  humble  him 
self,  acknowledging  himself  capable  of  committing  these 
and  other  faults.  Let  him  then  make  an  act  of  love  of 
God;  thus  this  sin,  instead  of  removing  him  from  God, 
will  serve  only  the  more  to  unite  him  more  closely  to 
him,  according  to  what  the  Apostle  says:  All  things — 
"  even  sins,"  1  the  Gloss  adds — work  together  unto  good? 

2.  EFFICACIOUS  DESIRE  TO  ADVANCE  IN  THE  LOVE  OF  GOD. 
Let  him   desire   to   advance   without   ceasing  in   the 
love  of  God.     Not   to  wish   to   advance   in   perfection, 
which  consists  in  the  love  of  God,  is  to  wish  to  go  back 
ward,  says  St.  Augustine.3     He  that  moves  against  the 

1  "  Etiam  peccata." 

2  "Omnia  cooperantur  in  bonum." — Rom.  viii.  23. 

3  "  Non  progredi,  jam  reverti  est." — Epist.  17,  E.  B.  app. 


438  Appendix. 

current  of  a  river,  and  does  not  make  continual  efforts 
against  the  movement  of  the  waters,  will  be  driven  back. 
The  same  thing  happens  to  us  when  we  cease  to  strug 
gle  with  the  concupiscence  of  the  flesh. 

Holy -desires  render  our  efforts  easier,  and  help  us  to 
move  forward;  but  it  is  necessary  that  these  desires  be 
firm  and  efficacious — that  is  to  say,  that  they  be  put  in 
practice  as  much  as  possible.  They  should  not  resemble 
the  desires  of  those  that  are  content  with  saying,  for 
example:  Oh!  if  I  had  no  brothers,  no  nephews,  I  would 
enter  religion;  if  I  had  health,  I  would  do  this  or  that 
penance;  and  in  the  mean  time  these  p.ersons  do  not 
take  a  step  forward  in  the  way  of  God:  on  the  contrary, 
they  always  commit  the  same  faults,  always  keeping  up 
the  same  attachments  and  the  same  animosities,  and  go 
from  bad  to  worse. 

It  is  therefore  necessary  that  we  advance  in  divine 
love,  but  with  the  resolution  to  do  on  our  part  all  that 
we  can  to  attain  this  end.  We  must,  however,  entirely 
mistrust  our  own  strength,  and  trust  only  in  God;  for  as 
soon  as  we  trust  in  ourselves  we  remain  deprived  of  the 
help  of  grace. 

3.  DEVOTION  TO  THE  PASSION  OF  OUR  LORD  AND  TO  THE  BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 

To  advance  in  perfection  the  priest  must,  moreover, 
entertain  a  great  devotion  to  the  Passion  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  When  we  consider  these 
two  great  mysteries  of  love,  in  which  a  God,  to  make 
himself  loved,  gives  his  life  and  makes  himself  the  food 
of  a  worm  of  the  earth,  his  creature,  we  cannot  live 
without  being  inflamed  with  love  for  Jesus  Christ. 
For  the  charity  of  Christ  presseth  us.1  He  that  thinks  of 
the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  will  feel  himself,  as  it  were, 
forced  to  love  him.  St.  Bonaventure  call  the  wounds 

1  "  Charkas  enim  Christi  urget  nos." — 2  Car.,  v.  14. 


Spiritual  Rides.  439 

of  Jesus  the  wounds  that  wound  the  most  hardened 
hearts,  and  that  inflame  with  love  for  God  the  coldest 
souls.1 

Let  the  priest,  then,  always  make  as  a  usual  thing, 
every  day,  a  half-hour's  meditation  on  the  Passion  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Let  him,  besides,  make  during  the  day 
frequent  acts  of  love  to  this  good  Master,  beginning 
them  on  awakening  in  the  morning,  and  endeavoring  at 
night  to  fall  asleep  while  making  them.  St.  Teresa 
said  that  acts  of  love  are  the  wood  that  keeps  up  in  the 
heart  the  sweet  fire  of  divine  love.  The  act  of  love  of 
God  that  is  more  especially  agreeable  to  God  is  the 
offering  that  we  make  to  him  of  ourselves  by  offering 
to  do  and  to  suffer  all  that  will  please  him.  St.  Teresa 
repeated  this  act  at  least  fifty  times  a  day. 

4.  THE  INTENTION  OF  DOING  ALL  FOR  GOD. 

The  priest  should  in  all  his  actions  take  care  to  make 
his  intention  to  do  for  God  alone  all  that  he  does.  The 
right  intention  is  called  by  the  masters  of  spiritual  life 
a  heavenly  alchemy,  which  converts  into  gold  all  our 
actions,  even  corporal  alleviations,  such  as  sleep,  eating, 
and  recreation.  But  it  is  particularly  necessary  that 
the  exercises  of  piety  should  be  performed  only  to  please 
God,  and  not  for  any  interested  motive,  either  of  vain 
glory  or  self-satisfaction;  otherwise  all  will  be  lost,  and 
instead  of  a  reward  we  shall  receive  only  punishment. 
This  is  the  reason  why,  in  order  to  do  surely  for  God  all 
that  we  do,  it  is  important  that  we  always  act  in  de 
pendence  on  our  director. 

5.  LOVE  OF  SOLITUDE  AND  OF  SILENCE. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  priest  should  be  a  friend  of 
solitude  and  of  silence.  He  that  treats  too  much  with 

1  "  Vulnera  corda  saxea  vulnerantia,  et  mentes  congelatas  inflam- 
mantia." — Stim.  div.  am.  p.  !„  c.  I. 


44-O  Appendix. 

men,  and  speaks  too  much  with  them,  will  do  well  to  be 
cautious;  he  will  with  difficulty  escape  sin:  In  the  multi 
tude  of  words  there  shall  not  want  sin.1  For  this  reason 
the  Lord  says:  In  silence  and  in  hope  shall  your  strength 
be?  Our  strength  against  temptations  is  in  confidence 
in  God  and  in  detachment  from  the  society  of  creatures. 
Moreover,  he  that  speaks  much  with  men  will  rarely 
speak  and  treat  with  God.  In  solitude  the  Lord  speaks 
and  converses  familiarly  with  souls,  in  accordance  with 
the  saying  of  St  Jerome;  "O  solitude,  in  which  God  fa 
miliarly  converses  with  his  creatures!"3  And  he  himself 
has  informed  us  that  it  is  in  solitude  that  he  speaks  to 
our  hearts:  I  will  lead  her  into  the  wilderness;  and  I  will 
speak  to  her  heart?  Thus  we  see  souls  that  burn  with 
the  love  of  God  always  seeking  solitude.  The  saints 
went  to  bury  themselves  in  the  forests  and  in  the  most 
frightful  caverns,  in  order  not  to  be  troubled  by  the 
noise  of  the  world  and  in  order  to  converse  only  with 
God.  "  Silence  and  rest  from  noise,"  said  St.  Bernard, 
"as  it  were,  forces  the  soul  to  converse  with  God."5 

Nevertheless  the  virtue  of  silence  does  not  consist  in 
always  keeping  silence,  but  in  being  silent  when  it  is 
expedient.  A  good  priest  is  silent  when  he  should  be 
silent,  and  speaks  when  he  should  speak;  but  he  speaks 
only  of  God  or  of  what  concerns  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  souls.  Often  a  word  about  God  spoken  famil 
iarly  in  conversation  will  produce  more  fruit  than  many 
sermons.  We  should  therefore  be  careful  in  all  our 
conversations,  however  indifferent  they  may  be,  to  allow 
some  edifying  word  to  glide  into  it  on  the  eternal  truths 

1  "  In  multiloquio  non  deerit  peccatum." — Prov.  x.  19. 

2  "  In  silentio  et  in  spe  erit  fortitude  vestra." — Is.  xxx.  15. 

3  "  O   solitude,    in  qua   Deus  cum  suis  familiariter  loquitur  ac  con- 
versatur!" 

4  "  Ducam  earn  in  solitudinem,  et  loquar  ad  cor  ejus." — Os.  ii.  14. 

6  "  Silentiura.  et  a  strepitu  quies  cogit  coelestia  meditari." — Epist.  78. 


Spiritual  Rules.  44 1 

or  on  the  love  of  God.  When  we  love  a  person,  we 
always  wish  to  speak  of  him  and  to  hear  others  speak 
of  him;  when  we  love  God,  we  do  not  wish  to  speak  of 
any  one  but  of  God,  and  we  do  not  wish  to  hear  any  one 
spoken  of  except  God. 

6.  CONFORMITY  TO  THE  WILL  OF  GOD. 

The  love  of  God  consists  above  all  in  conformity  to 
his  holy  will,  especially  in  regard  to  things  that  are 
mostly  contrary  to  self-love,  such  as  sickness,  poverty, 
contempt,  persecutions,  spiritual  aridities.  We  should 
be  persuaded  that  all  that  comes  from  God  is  useful  to 
us,  since  all  that  he  does,  he  does  for  our  own  good;  for 
there  is  no  one  that  loves  us  more  than  God.  If  we 
wish  to  sanctify  ourselves,  let  us  say  in  all  that  happens 
to  us:  May  Thy  will  be  done!  May  the  name  of  the 
Lord  be  blessed.  O  Lord!  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  do  ? 
As  it  pleases  the  Lord,  so  let  it  be  done.  Let  it  be 
thus,  O  Father!  because  it  was  thus  pleasing  to  Thee. 

In  all  the  occurrences  of  life,  whether  agreeable  or 
disagreeable,  let  us  endeavor  to  preserve  this  continual 
peace  and  this  unalterable  tranquillity,  of  which  the 
saints  have  given  us  the  example,  always  saying:  In 
peace  in  the  self -same  I  will  sleep  and  I  will  rest.1  A  soul 
that  loves  God,  always  united  with  its  Lord,  leads  a 
uniform  life.  This  is  what  is  said  by  that  great  servant 
of  God,  Cardinal  Petrucci,  when  speaking  of  the  words 
of  the  Holy  Ghost:  Whatsoever  shall  befall  the  just,  it  shall 
not  make  him  sad? 

Thus  a  priest  that  loves  God  will  never  be  afflicted. 
Sin  only  should  cause  him  sorrow;  but  even  this  sorrow, 
as  we  have  said  above,  should  be  a  tranquil  sorrow,  that 
does  not  trouble  the  peace  of  the  soul. 

1  "  In  pace  in  idipsum  dormiam  et  requiescam." — Ps.  iv.  9. 

2  "  Non  contristabit  justum  quidquid  ei  accident." — Prov.  xii.  21. 


44 2  Appendix. 


7.  DESIRE  FOR  DEATH. 

The  priest  should  often  desire  paradise,  and  conse 
quently  death  itself,  in  order  promptly  to  go  to  heaven, 
where  he  may  love  Jesus  Christ  with  all  his  strength 
and  during  all  eternity,  without  fear  of  ever  losing  him. 
In  the  mean  time  he  should  conduct  himself  towards 
God  without  reserve,  not  refusing  him  anything  that  he 
knows  will  be  more  agreeable  to  him;  and  he  should  be 
continually  attentive  to  banish  from  his  heart  all  that  is 
not  God  or  for  God. 

8.  DEVOTION  TO  THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN. 

He  should  endeavor  to  conceive  a  great  confidence 
and  a  tender  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  All  the 
saints  are  always  fond  of  nourishing  in  their  hearts  a 
filial  piety  towards  this  divine  Mother.  He  should  take 
care  to  make  every  day  a  spiritual  reading  out  of  a  book 
that  treats  of  the  great  confidence  that  we  should  have 
in  her  powerful  protection.  He  should  never  fail  as 
well  as  he  is  able  to  fast  on  Saturdays  in  her  honor;  and 
in  all  her  novenas  he  should  at  least  practise  some  ab 
stinence  and  some  other  mortification.  He  should  never 
omit  to  pay  her  a  visit  once  or  several  times  a  day  be 
fore  some  devout  image.  He  should  speak  to  others  as 
much  as  he  can  of  the  confidence  that  we  should  have 
in  the  protection  of  Mary,  and  should  endeavor  on 
Saturdays  to  address  in  the  church  a  little  instruction 
to  the  faithful,  so  as  to  excite  their  devotion  towards 
this  charitable  Queen;  at  least  he  should  speak  of  her 
in  a  special  manner  in  every  one  of  his  sermons,  and 
recommend  the  same  devotion  to  all  his  penitents  and 
to  all  persons.  The  more  one  loves  Mary,  the  more  one 
loves  God;  for  Mary  draws  to  God  all  that  love  her. 
St.  Bonaventure  says:  "Because  she  was  inflamed  with 


Spiritual  Rules.  443 

love,  she  also  inflames  all  those  that  love  her,  and  makes 
them  like  herself."1 

9.  To  BE  HUMBLE  OF  HEART. 

Let  the  priest  endeavor  to  be  humble  of  heart.  Many 
are  humble  in  their  speech,  but  not  in  their  hearts;  they 
say  that  they  are  the  greatest  sinners  in  the  world,  that 
they  merit  a  thousand  hells:  nevertheless  they  wish  to 
be  preferred,  esteemed,  and  praised;  they  strive  after 
honorable  employments;  they  cannot  suffer  a  contemp 
tuous  word.  The  humble  of  heart  do  not  act  in  this 
manner:  they  never  speak  of  their  talents,  of  their 
nobility,  of  their  riches,  or  of  anything  that  may  be 
turned  to  their  advantage. 

He  should,  therefore,  love  those  employments  and 
those  works  that  are  most  humble  and  are  less  con 
spicuous.  He  should  receive  affronts  without  being 
troubled;  he  should  even  feel  interior  pleasure  in  seeing 
that  he  has  become  similar  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  was 
filled  with  reproaches.  Therefore,  when  he  meets  with 
some  contradiction  that  wounds  and  irritates  his  pride 
he  should  do  violence  to  himself  not  to  speak  nor  act 
at  that  moment,  even  if  he  held  the  office  of  Superior, 
and  as  such  is  obliged  to  reprimand  the  insolence  of 
him  that  offers  the  outrage.  As  long  as  he  feels  him 
self  agitated  he  should  keep  silence  and  wait  till  he 
becomes  calm,  otherwise  the  smoke  produced  by  his 
trouble  will  obscure  his  vision;  he  will  believe  that 
what  he  says  or  what  he  does  is  right,  while  all  is 
faulty  and  disorderly.  Moreover,  when  the  correction 
is  made  amid  agitation,  the  inferior  will  not  receive  it 
as  a  deserved  reprimand,  but  as  a  passionate  outbreak 
of  temper  on  the  part  of  the  Superior;  and  this  will 
make  the  correction  useless,  or  nearly  so.  For  the  same 

Quia  tola  ardens  fuit,  omnes  se  amantes,  eamque   tangentes,  ia- 
cendit." — De  B.   V^  M.  s_  i. 


444  Appendix. 

reason,  when  the  Superior  perceives  that  the  inferior  is 
troubled,  he  should  put  off  the  reprimand  and  wait  till 
he  has  become  calm;  otherwise  the  inferior,  blinded  by 
his  passion,  will  not  only  not  receive  the  correction,  but 
will  even  be  moved  to  greater  passion. 

10.  To  RENDER  GOOD  FOR  EVIL. 

The  priest  should  try  to  be  ready  to  assist  every  one, 
and  especially  to  do  good  to  him  that  has  done  him 
wrong,  at  least  by  recommending  him  to  God.  This  is 
the  way  in  which  the  saints  take  revenge. 

ii.  INTERIOR  AND  EXTERIOR  MORTIFICATION. 

Let  the  priest  be  attentive  to  the  practice  of  interior 
and  exterior  mortification.  It  was  recommended  by 
Jesus  Christ  when  he  said:  Let  him  deny  himself  ?  This 
is  absolutely  necessary  in  order  to  attain  sanctity. 

Interior  mortification  exacts  of  us  that  we  know  how 
to  conquer  ourselves  by  refusing  all  that  satisfies  only 
our  self-love.  We  should  therefore  abstain  from  every 
action  that  has  no  other  object  than  to  satisfy  curiosity, 
ambition,  or  self-love. 

We  should  also  love  exterior  mortification,  namely, 
fasting,  abstinence,  disciplines,  and  the  like.  The  saints 
macerated  their  flesh  as  much  as  possible,  that  is  to  say, 
as  much  as  obedience  permitted,  and  obedience  is  the  rule 
of  the  saints.  As  to  him  who,  on  account  of  ill-health, 
cannot  impose  upon  himself  exterior  mortifications, 
he  should  embrace  the  pains  and  the  inconveniences 
that  he  has  to  suffer  by  endeavoring  to  support  them 
patiently  and  peacefully,  and  by  refraining  from  mak 
ing  them  known  without  necessity,  and  from  complain 
ing  about  the  want  of  care  on  the  part  of  the  physicians 
or  persons  of  the  house. 

1  "  Abneget  semetipsum." — Matt,  xvi.  24. 


Spiritual  Rules.  445 


12.  To  PRAY  WITHOUT  CEASING. 

We  must  always  pray  and  recommend  ourselves  to 
God.  All  our  good  resolutions  and  all  our  promises 
end  in  smoke  when  we  neglect  to  pray;  for  by  not 
praying  we  are  deprived  of  the  necessary  graces  to 
carry  them  out.  /  will  cry  like  a  young  swallow.1  We 
should  always  have  the  mouth  open  for  prayer  by  say 
ing:  O  Lord,  help  me!  O  Lord,  mercy!  O  Lord,  have 
pity  on  me!  Thus  the  saints  have  acted,  and  it  is  thus 
that  they  sanctified  themselves. 

We  should  above  all  ask  Jesus  Christ  for  the  gift  of 
his  holy  love.  St.  Francis  de  Sales  said  that  this  gift 
includes  all  other  gifts;  for  when  we  love  God  we  try 
to  avoid  all  that  which  is  disagreeable  to  him,  and  to 
do  all  that  we  can  do  to  please  him.  Let  us  also  ask 
always  for  the  grace  of  having  great  confidence  in  the 
Passion  of  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  intercession  of  Mary. 
Let  us,  moreover,  not  cease  to  recommend  to  God  the 
poor  souls  in  purgatory  and  poor  sinners;  for  such 
prayers  are  most  pleasing  to  God. 

1  "Sicut  pullus  hirundinis,  sic  clamabo." — Is.  xxxviii.  14. 


446  Appendix. 


Spiritual  lilajdms  for  priests. 

1.  To  lose  all  rather  than  to  lose  God. 

2.  To   displease   every  one   rather  than   to   displease 
God. 

3.  It  is  only  sin  that  we  have  to  fear,  and  that  should 
grieve  us. 

4.  To   die   rather  than   knowingly   to  commit   a  sin, 
even  if  it  were  only  a  venial  sin. 

5.  All   things   come  to  an  end;  the  world  is  a  scene 
that  passes  very  quickly. 

6.  Every  moment  is  a  treasure  for  eternity. 

7.  Everything  that  pleases  God  is  good. 

8.  Do  what  you  would  wish  to  have  done  at  the  hour 
of  death. 

9.  Live  as  if  there  were  no  other  beings  in  the  world 
except  God  and  yourself. 

10.  God  alone  makes  man  contented. 

IT.  There  is   no  other  good  than   God;  there  is  no 
other  evil  than  sin. 

12.  Never  do  anything  for  your  own  gratification. 

13.  The  more  one  mortifies  one's  self  in  this  life,  the 
more  joy  one  shall  have  in  the  next. 

14.  To  the  friends  of  God  the  bitter  is  sweet,  and  the 
sweet  bitter. 

15.  He  that  wishes  what  God  wishes  has  all  that  he 
wishes. 

16.  The  will  of  God  renders  sweet  all  that  which  is 
bitter. 

17.  In  sickness  one  may  see  who  has  real  virtue. 

18.  Whoever   desires   nothing    of    this   world  has    no 
need  of  anything. 


Spiritual  Maxims.  447 

19.  Do  not  defer  carrying  out  your  good  resolutions 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  retrograde. 

20.  To  trouble  one's  self  about  faults    committed  is 
not  humility,  but  pride. 

21.  We  are  only  that  which  we  are  before  God. 

22.  He  that  loves  God  desires  to  love  rather  than  to 
know. 

23.  He  that  wishes  to  sanctify  himself  should  banish 
from  his  heart  all  that  which  is  not  God. 

24.  One  is  not  entirely  for  God  when  one  seeks  some 
thing  that  is  not  God. 

25.  Pain,   poverty,  and    humiliation    were    the    com 
panions  of  Jesus  Christ;  may  they  also  be  ours. 

26.  Mental  agitation,   whatever   may   have  been    the 
cause,  does  not  come  from  God. 

27.  The  humble  man  believes  himself  unworthy  of  all 
honor,  and  worthy  of  contempt. 

28.  When  one  thinks  of  hell,  which  one  has  deserved, 
one  suffers  with  resignation  every  pain.  - 

29.  Forget  yourself,  and  God  will  think  of  you. 

30.  Love  contempt,  and  you  will  find  God. 

31.  He  that  contents  himself  with  that  which  is  less 
good  is  not  far  from  evil. 

32.  God  esteems  but  little  him  who  seeks  to  be  es 
teemed. 

33.  The   saints    always   speak   of    God;    they   always 
speak  ill  of  themselves,  and  always  well  of  others. 

34.  The  curious  are  always  distracted. 

35.  Woe  to  him  that  loves  health  more  than  sanctity. 

36.  The  devil  is  always  in  pursuit  of  the  idle. 

37.  A  vain  priest  is  but  the  sport  in  the  hand  of  the 
devil. 

38.  He  that  wishes  to  live  in  peace  ought  to  mortify 
all  his  passions  without  excepting  any  one  of  them. 

39.  St.  Joseph  Calasanctius  used  to  say:  "  The  servant 
of  God  speaks  little,  works  much,  bears  all." 


448  Appendix. 

40.  The  saints  try  to  be  saints,  and  not  merely  to  ap 
pear  to  be  saints. 

41.  We  shall  never  reach  any  high  degree  of  perfec 
tion  as  long  as  we  are  not  fond  of  prayer. 

42.  One  must  first  be  a  reservoir  to  collect,  and  then 
only  can  we  be  a  canal  to  pour  out. 

43.  Every  attachment  hinders  us  from  belonging  en 
tirely  to  God. 

44.  The  priest  should  not  perceive  anything  but  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  good  pleasure  of  Jesus  Christ. 

45.  In  our  actions  that  become  conspicuous  pride  is 
often  hidden. 

46.  To  offer  one's  self  entirely  to  God  is  an  .excellent 
preparation  for  Communion. 

47.  When  you  walk  in  places  that  are  inhabited  keep 
your  eyes  cast  down;  think  that  you  are  a  priest,  and 
not  a  painter. 


Exhortation  to  Young  Students.         449 


(£*I)0rtati0n  to  f  otwg  Iflen  tofyo  £3et)0te  ®l)etttselt)es  10 
tl)e  Stub]}  of  tije  Ecclesiastical  Sciences.* 

They  should,  above   all,  endeavor  to    make   Progress  in    the 
Science  of  the  Saints. 

ST.  PAUL  says,  in  speaking  of  worldly  science:  Knowl 
edge  puff  eth  up;  but  charity  edifieth.  And  if  any  man  think 
that  he  knoweth  anything,  he  hath  not  yet  known  as  he  ought 
to  know?  Worldly  science  when  united  with  divine  love 
is  of  great  use  for  us  and  for  others;  but  when  it  is 
separated  from  charity,  it  causes  us  great  injury  by 
rendering  us  proud  and  inciting  us  to  despise  others; 
for  as  much  as  the  Lord  is  lavish  of  his  graces  towards 
the  humble,  so  much  is  he  chary  of  them  towards  the 
proud. 

Happy  the  man  to  whom  God  gives  the  science  of  the 
saints,  as  he  gave  it  to  Jacob:  She  gave  him  the  knowledge 
of  holy  things.''  Scripture  speaks  of  this  gift  as  greater 
than  all  other  gifts.  Oh  how  many  men  live  full  of 
themselves  because  of  their  knowledge  of  mathematics, 
belles-lettres,  foreign  languages,  and  antiquities,  which 
are  of  no  service  to  religion,  and  are  of  no  help  as  to 
spiritual  profit!  Of  what  use  is  it  to  possess  such  a 
science,  to  know  so  many  fine  things,  if  one  does  not 

1  "  Scientia  inflat,  charitas  vero  sedificat.     Si  quis  autem  se  existimat 
scire  aliquid,  nondum  cognovit  quemadmodum  oporteat  eum  scire." — 
I  Cor.  viii.  i. 
,-   2  "  Dedit  illi  scientiam  sanctorum." — Wisd.  x.  10. 

*  In  the  Italian  editions  this  Exhortation  is  joined  as  an  appendix  to 
the  Rules  for  Seminaries,  which  may  be  found  in  a  subsequent  volume. 

—ED. 


450  Appendix. 

know  how  to  love  God  and  to  practise  virtue  ?  The 
wise  men  of  this  world,  who  seek  only  to  acquire  a  great 
name,  are  deprived  of  the  celestial  lights  that  the  Lord 
gives  to  the  simple:  Thou  hast  hid  these  things  from  the 
wise  and  prudent  (the  wise  and  prudent  of  the  world), 
and  hast  revealed  them  to  the  little  ones.1  The  little  ones  are 
the  simple  minds  that  bestow  all  their  care  on  pleasing 
God  alone. 

St.  Augustine  proclaims  him  happy  who  knows  God, 
his  grandeur,  his  goodness,  even  though  he  should  be 
ignorant  of  all  other  things:  "Happy  he  that  knows 
Thee,  although  he  knows  nothing  of  those  things."2  He 
that  knows  God  cannot  but  love  him;  now  he  that  loves 
God  is  wiser  than  all  the  men  of  letters  that  know  not 
how  to  love  him.  "  The  unlettered,"  exclaims  the  same 
holy  Doctor,  "  will  rise  up  and  bear  away  heaven."1 
How  many  rustics,  how  many  poor  villagers,  reach 
sanctity  and  obtain  eternal  life,  the  enjoyment  of  which 
for  a  moment  is  better  than  the  acquisition  of  all  the 
goods  of  this  world!  The  Apostle  wrote  to  the  Corin 
thians:  for  I  judged  not  Myself  to  know  anything  among 
you  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  crucified*  How  happy 
should  we  be  if  we  succeed  in  knowing  Jesus  crucified, 
in  knowing  the  love  that  he  has  borne  us  and  the  love 
that  he  has  merited  for  us  by  sacrificing  for  us  his  life 
on  the  cross,  and  if  by  studying  such  a  book  we  suc 
ceed  in  loving  him  with  an  ardent  love! 

A  great  servant  of  God,  Father  Vincent  Caraffa, 
writing  to  some  young  ecclesiastics  who  were  engaged 
in  studying  to  qualify  themselves  for  the  work  of  sav- 

1  "  Abscondisti  haec  a  sapientibus  et  prudentibus,  et  revelasti  ea  par- 
vulis." — Matt.  xi.  25. 

•  "  Beatus,  qui  te  scit,  etiamsi  ilia  nesciat." — Conf.  \.  5,  c.  4 

3  "  Surgunt  indocti,  et  coelum  rapiunt!" — Conf.  1.  8,  c.  8. 

4  "  Non  enim  judicavi   me   scire  aliquid  inter  vos,  nisi  Jesum  Chris 
turn,  et  hunc  crucifixum." — I  Cor.  ii.  2. 


Exhortation  to  Young  Students.         45 1 

ing  souls,  said  to  them:  "  To  bring  about  great  con 
versions  among  souls  it  is  better  to  be  a  man  of  much 
prayer  than  a  man  of  great  eloquence;  for  the  eternal 
truths  that  convert  souls  are  preached  differently  by 
the  heart  than  they  are  by  the  lips."  The  true  minis 
ters  of  the  Gospel  should,  therefore,  lead  a  life  that 
shows  itself  to  be  in  agreement  with  what  they  teach; 
they  should,  in  a  word,  appear  like  men  who,  detached 
from  the  world  and  the  flesh,  seek  only  to  procure  the 
glory  of  God  and  to  make  him  loved  by  all.  This  is 
the  reason  why  Father  Caraffa  added:  "  Bestow  all  your 
care  on  giving  yourself  up  to  the  exercise  of  divine 
love;  only  the  love  of  God,  as  soon  as  it  possesses  our 
heart,  detaches  it  from  all  inordinate  love,  and  renders 
it  pure  by  stripping  it  of  earthly  affections."  "  A  pure 
heart,"  says  St.  Augustine,  "  is  a  heart  empty  of  all 
Cupidity."  In  fact,  adds  St.  Bernard,  he  that  loves 
rod,  thinks  only  of  loving  him,  and  desires  nothing 
else:  "He  that  loves,  loves  and  knows  nothing  else."2 
When  one.  burns  with  the  love  for  God,  one  knows  not 
how  to  devote  one's  self  to  the  love  of  any  earthly 
object. 

Hence,  just  as  students  should  give  from  year  to  year 
proofs  of  their  advancement  in  the  sciences,  so  those 
that  wish  to  sanctify  themselves  should  labor  to  acquire 
not  only  from  year  to  year,  but  from  day  to  day,  a 
great  love  for  God.  They  should  endeavor  to  increase 
in  themselves  holy  love  by  often  repeating  acts  of  love, 
by  offering  to  God  every  action  that  they  begin,  with  the 
intention  of  performing  it  only  to  please  him,  and  by 
always  begging  him  to  grant  them  the  light  and  the 
strength  necessary  to  accomplish  the  good  desires  with 
which  he  inspires  them. 

St.  Thomas  of  Villanova  used   to   say:  "To  convert 

1  "  Cor  purum  est  cor  vacuum  ab  omni  cupiditate." 

2  "  Qui  amat,  amat,  et  aliud  novit  nihil." — In  Cant.  s.  83. 


45 2  Appendix. 

sinners  and  make  them  come  forth  from  the  mire  of 
their  iniquities,  we  need  arrows  of  fire;  but  how  can 
these  arrows  of  fire  come  forth  from  an  icy  heart  that 
is  not  animated  by  the  love  of  God  ?"  Experience  per 
mits  us  to  see  that  a  priest  with  moderate  science,  but 
burning  with  love  for  Jesus  Christ,  draws  more  souls 
to  God  than  many  learned  and  excellent  orators  who 
charm  people  by  their  eloquence.  The  latter,  with  their 
beautiful  thoughts,  their  rare  acquirements,  and  their 
ingenious  reflections,  send  away  their  hearers  greatly 
satisfied  with  the  discourse  that  they  have  heard;  but 
they  go  away  deprived  of  the  love  for  God,  and  per 
haps  colder  than  when  they  came.  But  is  such  a  suc 
cess  of  profit  to  the  common  good  ?  and  what  profit 
does  the  preacher  draw  therefrom,  if  it  is  not  to  be 
more  full  of  himself  and  more  responsible  before  God, 
since  instead  of  the  fruit  that  his  sermon  could  have 
produced,  he  obtains  only  vain  praises  that  yield 
nothing?  He  who,  on  the  contrary,  preaches  Jesus 
crucified  in  a  simple  manner,  not  to  be  praised,  but 
only  to  make  him  loved,  descends  from  the  pulpit  rich 
in  the  merit  of  all  the  good  that  he  has  done,  or  at  least 
that  he  desired  to  do  for  his  hearers. 

All  that  has  been  said  above  concerns  not  only 
preachers,  but  also  those  that  are  charged  with  teaching 
and  those  that  hear  confessions.  How  much  good  can 
not  a  professor  do  in  teaching  sciences,  in  instilling  into 
his  pupils  the  maxims  of  true  piety!  The  same  thing 
holds  good  of  confessors. 

To  this  must  be  added  the  happy  fruits  that  one  may 
produce  in  conversing  with  others.  We  cannot  always 
preach;  but  what  good  may  not  be  done  in  conversa 
tion  by  a  priest,  who  is  well  instructed  and  who  is  holy, 
when  he  speaks  adroitly,  when  an  occasion  presents  it 
self,  of  the  vanity  of  worldly  grandeur,  of  conformity  to 
the  will  of  God,  of  the  necessity  of  recommending  one's 


Exhortation  to  Young  Students.         453 

self  without  ceasing  to  the  protection  of  Heaven  in  the 
midst  of  so  many  temptations  with  which  we  have  to 
struggle! 

May  the  Lord  deign  to  give  us  the  light  and  the 
strength  of  which  we  stand  in  need  in  order  to  employ 
the  days  that  still  remain  to  us  in  loving  him  and  in 
doing  his  will,  since  only  this  is  profitable,  and  all  the 
rest  is  lost! 


454  Appendix. 


^Discourse  011  tl)e   K'mssitj]  of  Iftctttal   JJragct   far 
priests.* 

IF  we  do  not  try  to  become  saints,  it  will  be  difficult 
to  sanctify  others.  If  therefore  we  wish  to  produce 
much  fruit  in  souls,  we  must  necessarily  practise  medi 
tation,  and  practise  it  much.  Without  this  practise  what 
good  can  we  ever  hope  for  ourselves  and  for  others  ? 
With  desolation  is  all  the  land  made  desolate,  says  the  Holy 
Ghost,  why? — because  there  is  none  that  considereth  in  the 
heart.1  The  Holy  Ghost  speaks  thus  of  the  neglect  of 
mental  prayer;  and  if  it  is  this  that  causes  the  ruin  of 
every  one,  with  how  much  greater  reason  should  not 
this  defect  cause  the  ruin  of  the  priest! 

If  you  desire  to  see  what  is  the  necessity  of  mental 
prayer  for  the  priest,  you  should  this  evening  consider 
with  me  these  two  points:  I  say,  in  speaking  of  a  priest 
without  mental  prayer: 

First,  it  is  difficult  for  him  to  save  his  soul; 

Secondly,  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  attain  perfection. 

Let  us  pray  to  the  Holy  Ghost  to  enlighten  us. 

1  "  Desolatione  desolata  est  omnis  terra:  quia  nullus  est  qui  recogitet 
corde." — Jer.  xii.  n. 


*  This  discourse,  which  remained  unpublished  till  1869,  was  found 
among  the  manuscripts  of  St.  Alphonsus  preserved  at  Rome.  From 
its  context  we  see  that  it  was  composed  for  retreats  that  are  given  to 
priests  and  to  candidates  for  Holy  Orders,  and  it  seems  that  it  was  com 
posed  before  1737,  since  the  author  gives  on  page  446  only  the  title  of 
Blessed  to  St.  John  Francis  Regis,  canonized  at  this  time  by  Pope 
Clement  XI L— ED. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  455 

/  will  speak  to  my  Lord,  whereas  I  am  dust  and  ashes.  * 
Ah!  how  happy  should  I  be,  O  my  God!  if  I  were  but 
dust  and  ashes!  I  am  worse  than  that:  I  am  a  rebel, 
having  had  the  boldness  to  offend  Thee,  who  art  the 
supreme  good!  But  Thou  hast  come  into  this  world  in 
order  that  poor  sinners  may  have  life,  and  may  have  it 
more  abundantly?  Enlighten  me,  therefore,  O  Lord! 
speak  to  me,  for  I  wish  to  listen  to  Thee:  Speak,  Lord, 
for  Thy  servant  heareth?  Tell  me  what  I  have  to  do  to 
please  Thee  and  to  sanctify  myself. 

Mary,  my  hope;  thou  dost  fulfil  the  beautiful  office, 
so  conformable  to  thy  heart  all  full  of  love  and  mercy, 
of  being  pacifier  between  sinners  and  God;  for  pity's 
sake,  exert  thyself  also  in  my  behalf,  O  my  Sovereign 
Lady! 

I. 

Without  Mental  Prayer  it  is  Difficult  for  a  Priest  to  Save 
his  Soul. 

With  desolation  is  all  the  land  made  desolate,  because  there 
is  none  that  considereth  in  the  heart.  These  last  words, 
considereth  in  the  heart,  I  understand  to  mean  mental 
prayer:  it  is  to  meditate  on  the  law  of  God,  on  eternity, 
on  one's  own  duties,  on  the  things  of  God.  Let  us  see 
how  difficult  it  is  for  a  priest  to  save  his  soul  without 
prayer;  here  is  the  way  in  which  I  reason: 

It  is  certain  that  a  priest,  in  order  to  save  his  soul, 
must  fulfil  all  the  duties  of  a  priest, — duties  of  which 
we  have  already  shown  the  greatness;  and  to  fulfil  all 
these  duties  he  needs  to  be  continually  aided  by  the 
hand  of  the  all-powerful  God.  It  is  true  that  God  is 
ready  to  aid  us;  but  what  does  the  Lord  desire  ?  He 

1  "  Loquar  ad   Dominum  meum,    cum  sim   pulvis  et  r.inis." — Gen, 
xviii.  27. 

2  "  Ut  vitam  habeant,  et  abundantius  habeant." — John,  x.  10. 

3  "  Loquere,  Domine,  quia  audit  servus.  tuus." — i  Kings,  iii.  9. 


456  Appendix. 

desires  that  we  should  continually  ask  all  the  help  that 
is  necessary  for  us;  and  if  we  do  not  ask  him  for  it  he 
will  not  give  it  to  us.  You  know  the  common  opinion 
of  theologians,  that  prayer, — that  is  to  say,  the  asking 
for  graces, — on  the  part  of  every  one  that  has  attained 
the  age  of  reason,  is  necessary  as  a  means  of  salvation; 
otherwise  we  cannot  be  saved.  Ask,  and  you  shall  receive, 
He  that  does  not  ask  will  not  receive. 

Now  a  priest  that  does  not  make  mental  prayer, 
when  will  he  reflect  on  his  duties  as  a  priest?  under 
what  circumstances  will  he  ask  God  for  the  necessary 
help  ?  It  will  happen,  that  walking  blindly  without 
looking  where  or  how  he  walks,  he  will  hardly  think  of 
asking  God's  help;  he  will  hardly  think  of  the  necessity 
in  which  he  is  of  asking  for  it;  or  rather,  without  prayer 
he  will  not  even  think  of  his  duties  as  a  priest;  and  so 
how  will  he  save  his  soul  ?  Cardinal  Bellarmine  thinks 
it  to  be  morally  impossible  for  any  Christian  to  fulfil 
the  duties  of  a  simple  Christian  without  mental  prayer; 
for  how  much  greater  reason  should  we  not  believe 
that  this  is  impossible  for  a  priest  who  has  greater 
duties  than  a  simple  Christian!  My  dear  patroness  St. 
Teresa  also  says  that  to  obtain  God's  grace  the  only 
door  is  mental  prayer,  and  she  speaks  expressly  of  men 
tal  prayer:  "  This  door  being  closed,"  she  says,  "  I  know 
not  how  grace  will  reach  the  soul."  If  the  saint  does 
not  know,  I  declare  that  I  know  much  less  how  a  priest 
without  mental  prayer  will  receive  all  the  graces  neces 
sary  to  save  his  soul. 

Let  us  consider,  in  the  first  place,  how  much  light  a 
priest  needs  for  himself  and  for  others  so  as  to  save  his 
soul.  He  must  keep  himself  pure  in  the  midst  of  the 
seductions  of  the  flesh;  he  must  avoid  the  occasions  in 
which  he  is  exposed  to  lose  God;  he  must  give  wise 
counsel  to  others,  since  he  is  the  master  of  the  people, 
1  Life,  ch.  8.. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  45  7 

especially  if  he  is  a  confessor;  he  has  to  place  souls  on 
the  road  that  leads  to  God,  so  often  to  resolve  doubts 
unexpectedly,  to  give  advice  in  every  confession,  and 
then  to  render  an  account  of  all  to  Jesus  Christ. 

Now  how  will  he  receive  this  light  unless  he  makes 
mental  prayer  ? 

Mental  prayer,  says  St.  Bonaventure,1  is  a  torch 
which  on  this  earth  of  darkness  shows  us  the  road  on 
which  we  should  walk.  St.  Bernard,  treating  of  the 
same  subject,  says  that  mental  prayer  is  like  a  mirror: 
this  comparison  pleases  me  much.  If  one  has  a  stain  on 
one's  countenance  and  one  looks  in  the  mirror,  one 
sees  it  and  takes  it  away;  without  this  mirror,  the  stain 
remains,  and  will  always  remain;  as  one  does  not  see 
it,  one  does  not  take  it  away.  So  it  is  with  mental 
prayer:  if  we  have  a  defect,  if  we  find  ourselves  in  a 
dangerous  occasion,  when  we  go  to  mental  prayer,  as  if 
going  before  the  mirror,  we  see  in  our  conscience  this 
defect  that  we  have,  we  see  this  danger  of  losing  God; 
we  see  it  and  we  take  it  away. 

Even  though  one  should  have  had  the  misfortune  of 
falling  over  the  precipice,  if  one  practises  mental  prayer 
with  perseverance,  one  will  surely  come  forth  from  it. 
Hence  we  quote  the  remark  made  by  a  master  of  the 
spiritual  life:  With  sin  there  can  often  be  united  some  act 
'virtuous  in  itself,  as,  for  instance,  to  be  in  the  state  of  sin 
and  to  give  alms,  to  be  worldly  and  to  be  patient;  but 
mental  prayer  and  sin  cannot  remain  united  together. 
Why  ?  Because  if  we  begin  voluntarily  to  make  mental 
prayer, — there  are  some  that  go  to  mental  prayer  by 
force,  and  then  it  will  do  them  no  good, — if,  I  say,  we 
go  to  it  voluntarily,  either  we  shall  give  up  mental 
prayer,  or  we  shall  give  up  sin.  And  according  to  St. 
Teresa,2  however  great  may  be  the  ruin  of  a  soul,  if  it 
perseveres  in  mental  prayer,  it  is  sure  that  the  Lord  will 
1  Diat.  sal  tit.  2,  c.  5.  2  Life,  ch.  8, 


45  8  Appendix. 

bring  it  back  to  the  haven  of  salvation.  But  if  this  soul 
does  not  go  to  mental  prayer,  because  it  does  not  think 
of  it,  or  thinks  of  it  but  little,  it  will  continue  to  live  in 
its  faults,  in  the  dangerous  occasions  in  which  it  finds 
itself,  and  it  will  end  by  falling  into  the  abyss.  Why  ? 
Because  it  walks  in  darkness,  without  light;  it  will  find 
itself  at  the  bottom  of  the  precipice  without  knowing  in 
what  manner  it  fell  over  it. 

Come  ye  to  Him  and  be  enlightened.1  What  light  would 
we  wish  to  have  if  we  do  not  approach  God  by  means 
of  mental  prayer  ?  Where  have  so  many  saints,  I  ask, 
where,  without  studying  theology,  have  so  many  simple 
men  and  women,  so  well  learned  divine  things  if  it  was 
not  in  mental  prayer,  this  school  of  the  saints  ?  Such 
was  a  St.  Hildegarde,  who  composed  several  books  about 
holy  Scripture;  a  St.  Magdalene  de  Pazzi,  who  spoke 
so  admirably  of  the  perfection  of  God;  a  St.  Teresa, 
who  wrote  so  well  on  mental  prayer  that  she  has  be 
come  the  admiration  of  the  whole  world,  and  the 
Church  wishes  us  to  ask  God  for  the  grace  of  profiting 
by  her  heavenly  doctrine:  "  So  we  feed  to  our  ghostly 
health  upon  her  heavenly  teaching."5  Let  us  add  a 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  who  confessed  that  all  that  he 
knew  he  had  learnt  in  mental  prayer;  likewise  a  St. 
Bonaventure,  who  said  that  he  never  had  any  other 
Master  than  Jesus  crucified.  Come  ye  to  Him  and  be  en 
lightened. 

Let  us,  moreover,  consider  how  much  strength  a  priest 
needs  to  overcome  so  many  enemies,  both  exterior  and 
interior,  that  are  continually  laying  snares  for  his  soul. 
These  enemies  are  the  world,  persecutions,  human  re 
spect,  passions,  evil  inclinations,  temptations  of  the 
devil.  Oh,  how  much  more  trouble  does  not  the  devil 
take  to  make  a  priest  fall  than  to  make  a  secular  fall! 

1  "  Accedite  ad  eum,  et  illuminamini." — Ps.  xxxiii.  6. 

2  "  Coelestis  ejus  doctrinae  pabulo  nutriamur." 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  459 

And  why?  Because  if  he  succeeds  in  bringing  to  his  fall 
a  priest,  he  obtains  a  greater  prey,  and  causes  greater 
displeasure  to  God  Again,  the  fall  of  a  priest  is  accom 
panied  by  the  fall  of  many  others;  for  a  bad  priest  by 
falling  into  the  precipice  does  not  fall  into  it  alone; 
he  drags  down  with  him  many  others:  and  this  is  the 
reason  why  the  devil  makes  so  many  efforts  to  ruin  a 
priesL  How,  then,  can  he  undertake  without  mental 
prayer  to  overcome  all  these  temptiatons,  especially  if 
he  is  a  secular  priest,  who  has  to  live  in  the  midst  of  the 
world,  exposed  to  the  danger  of  meeting  with  so  many 
dangerous  objects — at  times  in  the  same  house  in  which 
he  lives?  and  if  he  is  a  confessor,  whe'n  hearing  the  con 
fessions  of  young  persons,  of  children,  of  women;  when 
hearing  the  history  of  their  miseries,  of  their  frailties? 
But  then  you  will  say,  The  priest  takes  the  place  of 
God.  Ah!  dear  Fathers,  while  receiving  the  sacerdotal 
character,  we  neverthless  remain  earthly  beings,  weak, 
frail,  liable  to  fall.  How  often  must  we  not,  as  it  were, 
sweat  blood  in  order  to  overcome  a  suggestion  of  the 
devil!  And  without  mental  prayer  how  shall  we  do  this  ? 
how  shall  we  acquire  the  strength  to  resist  so  many 
enemies  ?  Let  us  hear  what  St.  Teresa  says:  "  He  that 
neglects  mental  prayer  has  no  need  of  being  taken  to 
hell  by  demons:  he  will  cast  himself  into  it."  * 

When,  on  the  contrary,  we  apply  to  mental  prayer, 
what  strength  do  we  not  continually  derive  from  this  holy 
exercise  in  order  to  resist  all  the  attacks  of  hell!  What 
shalt  thou  see  in  the  Sulamitess  but  the  companies  of  campst 
The  Sulamitess  represents  the  soul  given  to  mental 
prayer,  which  by  this  powerful  means  becomes  for  all 
its  enemies  terrible  as  an  army  set  in  array?  The  soul  is 
then  able  to  conquer  all  its  passions,  all  bad  inclinations. 

1  Life,  ch.  19. 

"  Quid  videbis  in  Sulamite  nisi  chores  castrorum  ?" — Cant.  vii.  i. 
3  "  Terribilis  ut  castrorum  acies  ordinata." — Cant.  vi.  3. 


460  Appendix. 

These  vicious  tendencies  are  produced  only  by  our 
corrupt  nature,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  conquer  them 
without  much  mental  prayer;  but  by  means  of  this 
prayer  we  overcome  them  easily.  The  soul  in  mental 
prayer  is  like  iron  in  the  fire:  when  the  iron  is  cold  it  is 
difficult  to  work;  but  when  it  is  put  into  the  fire  it  be 
comes  soft,  and  allows  itself  to  be  easily  worked:  so  it 
is  with  the  soul.  A  master  of  the  spiritual  life  calls  it  a 
furnace,  because  as  the  fire  softens  the  iron  and  renders 
it  easy  to  work,  so  mental  prayer  makes  it  easy  for  the 
soul  to  overcome  its  passions.  For  example,  some  one 
receives  an  affront,  an  injury  that  wounds  his  self-love: 
before  mental  prayer,  it  is  very  difficult  to  him  to  over 
come  the  passion  that  incites  him  to  grow  angry,  to  de 
fend  himself,  and  even  to  furnish  him  at  times  with 
pretexts  to  make  him  believe  that  this  is  necessary. 
The  iron  is  yet  cold,  it  must  be  put  into  the  fire.  Let 
this  troubled  soul  enter  mental  prayer,  and  at  once  the 
sweet  flame  of  the  Holy  Ghost  touches  it,  and  an  in 
terior  voice  tells  him:  Is  it  not  better  to  bear  that  with 
out  resenting  it  ?  Leave  rather  your  defence  to  God, 
as  your  divine  Master  did  when  he  was  calumniated, — he 
who  was  more  innocent  than  you!  At  once  the  iron  loses 
its  hardness;  the  soul  is  softened,  is  appeased:  with 
out  mental  prayer,  it  would  have  been  otherwise. 

St.  John  Chrysostom  l  says  that  in  a  soul  mental 
prayer  is  as  a  fountain  in  a  garden.  Oh,  how  beautiful 
is  a  garden  when  a  fountain  continually  waters  it  with 
its  vivifying  waters !  how  fresh  the  verdure,  how  resplen 
dent  the  flowers,  how  abundant  the  fruit!  Take  away 
the  fountain,  and  everything  will  languish  and  dry  up 
— grass,  flowers,  fruits,  and  plants.  Hence  how  quickly 
does  one  recognize  a  priest  who  makes  mental  prayer! 
See  his  manner  of  saying  Mass,  of  preaching,  of  con 
versing!  See  his  humility  and  modesty  in  his  actions,  in 

1  Ad  pop.  Ant.  horn.  79. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  46 1 

his  whole  conduct!  He  is  the  garden  of  the  Lord,  a 
garden  enclosed.1  It  is  closed  to  vices,  to  passions;  it  is 
filled  with  flowers  and  fruits  of  virtues;  it  is  a  paradise: 
Thy  plants  are  a  paradise  of  pomegranates  with  the  fruits  of 
the  orchard?  And  why  ?  Because  it  is  the  fountain  of  gar 
dens,  the  well  of  living  waters?  Mental  prayer  is  the 
source  of  living  waters  that  continually  waters  the  gar 
den.  Take  away  mental  prayer,  take  away  the  fountain, 
and  then  we  say  Mass  and  the  Office  with  precipitation; 
we  preach  in  a  different  manner.  Show  me  your  beauti 
ful  detachment,  your  beautiful  humility,  your  beautiful 
modesty,  .  .  .  after  the  fountain  has  been  taken  away. 
A  priest  without  mental  prayer  is  a  garden  without 
water,  just  as  David  said  of  himself  in  reference  to  the 
time  when  he  was  far  from  God:  My  soul  is  as  earth  with 
out  water  unto  Thee."  He  is  not  even  a  priest;  he  is  the 
corpse  of  a  priest,  according  to  the  saying  of  St.  John 
Chrysostom:  "  As  the  body  cannot  live  without  the 
soul,  so  the  soul  without  prayer  is  dead  and  malodor 
ous."  ''  Oh,  how  one  perceives  even  from  afar  the  bad 
odor  of  a  priest  who  does  not  make  mental  prayer! 
Happy,  on  the  contrary,  he  who  meditates  on  the  law 
of  God,  who  applies  himself  to  the  holy  exercise  of  men 
tal  prayer.  The  Holy  Ghost  compares  him  to  a  tree 
planted  by  the  rivers  of  water/' 

1  "  Hortus  conclusus." — Cant.  iv.  12. 

2  "  Emissiones  tuae,  paradisus  malorum   punicorum,   cum  pomorum 
fructibus." — Ibid.  13. 

3  "  Fons  hortorum,  puteus  aquarum  viventium." — Ibid.  15. 

4  "  Anima  mea  sicut  terra  sine  aqua  tibi." — Ps.  cxlii.  6. 

5  "Sicut  corpus,  sine  anima,  non  potest  vivere,  sic  anima,  sine  ora- 
tione,  mortua  est,  et  graviter  olens." — De  or.  Deo,  1.  i. 

6  Ps.  i.  3. 


462  Appendix. 


n. 

Without  Mental  Prayer  it  is  Impossible  for  the  Priest 
to  Attain  Perfection. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  second  point,  in  which  we 
must  consider  that,  as  it  is  difficult  for  a  priest  to  save 
his  soul  without  mental  prayer,  so  it  is  impossible  for 
him  to  attain  perfection. 

I  suppose  that,  without  dwelling  specially  on  this 
point,  every  priest  well  knows  the  obligation  under 
which  he  is  of  striving  to  attain  perfection.  Let  us 
therefore  come  to  the  point. 

Observe,  says  the  Holy  Spirit  to  us,  that  the  trees 
planted  far  from  the  water,  dry  up,  grow  but  little,  or 
do  not  grow  straight,  while  those  that  are  found  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream  are  vigorous,  straight,  and  high.  Thus 
men  of  mental  prayer  show  themselves  full  of  life  and 
strength :  they  are  straight,  having  only  God  before  their 
eyes;  they  attain  a  great  height,  growing  always  in  vir 
tue:  Like  a  tree  which  is  planted  near  the  running  waters, 
which  shall  bring  forth  its  fruit  in  due  season-  and  his  leaf 
shall  not  fall  off.1  They  will  not  lose  a  leaf,  that  is,  they 
will  not  lose  a  moment  of  their  life,  because  either  actu 
ally  or  virtually  they  always  advance  in  perfection  or  in 
divine  love, — holy  charity, — which  is  the  cause  of  per 
fection  in  our  soul,  as  St.  Paul  says:  Have  charity,  which 
is  the  bond  of  perfection?  The  sweet  furnace  in  which 
souls  are  inflamed  by  this  celestial  fire,  with  which  the 
saints  on  earth  and  the  blessed  in  heaven  are  burning, 
is  mental  prayer:  In  my  meditation  a  fire  shall  flame  out, 
says  David.3 

1  "  Tamquam  lignum  quod   plantatum  est  secus  decursus  aquarum, 
quod  fructum  suum  dabit  in  tempore  suo;  et  folium  ejus  non  defluet." 
— Ps.  i.  3. 

2  "  Charitatem  habete,  quod  est  vinculum  perfectionis." — Col.  iii.  14. 

3  "  In  meditatione  mea  exardescet  ignis." — Ps.  xxxviii.  4. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  463 

We  complain  that  we  are  lukewarm  and  feeble;  but 
need  we  be  astonished  at  this  if  we  remain  from  mental 
prayer?  Why  do  we  not  try  to  enter  often  this  happy 
cellar  of  love,  where,  having  been  scarcely  introduced, 
the  Spouse  of  the  Canticles  feels  herself  all  set  on  fire 
with  charity  ?  He  brought  me  into  the  cellar  of  wine,  He  set 
in  order  charity  in  me.1 

We  feel  ourselves  cold  in  divine  love:  why,  then,  do 
we  not  often  go  to  converse  with  God  ?  Why  do  we  not 
approach  Him  who  is  called  a  devouring  fire:  Thy  God 
is  a  consuming  fire?  We  approach  God  by  means  of 
mental  prayer,  says  St.  John  Climacus.3  Let  us  sup 
pose  the  heart  to  be  very  cold,  entirely  deprived  of  love 
towards  God:  if  it  perseveres  in  mental  prayer,  it  is 
certain  that  this  God,  who  is  so  faithful  and  never 
allows  himself  to  be  outdone  in  generosity,  will  end  by 
inflaming  it  with  his  holy  love;  the  fire  should  produce 
its  effect.  If  at  times,  while  conversing  with  a  person 
who  truly  loves  God,  we  feel  ourselves  excited  by  the 
ardor  that  he  communicates  to  us  to  love  God  also,  how 
much  more  shall  we  not  be  inflamed  with  this  celestial 
fire  by  often  conversing  with  God  himself! 

God  speaks,  yes,  God  speaks  to  souls  that  seek  him 
sincerely;  but  when  does  he  speak  to  them?  Is  it  in 
society,  in  visits,  where  we  lose  whole  hours  in  useless 
conversation?  No;  there  God  does  not  speak.  If  a 
soul  wishes  to  hear  me,  says  the  Lord,  let  it  leave  the 
society  of  men,  let  it  retire  into  solitude,  and  make 
mental  prayer;  it  is  there  that  I  wish  to  speak  to  it:  / 
will  lead  her  into  the  wilderness,  and  I  will  speak  to  her 
heart."  There  I  will  make  the  soul  hear  my  word,  this 

1  "  Introduxit  me  in  cellam  vinariam,  ordinavit  in  me  charitatem." 
—  Cant.  ii.  4. 

'2  "  Deus  tuus  ignis  consumens  est." — Dcut.  iv.  24. 

"  Oratio  est  hominis  conjunctio  cum  Deo." — Scala  par.  gr.  28. 
4  "  Ducam  earn  in  solitudinem,  et  loquar  ad  cor  ejus." — Os.  ii.  14. 


464  Appendix. 

word  full  and  substantial,  which  in  making  itself  heard, 
produces  the  effect  that  it  signifies,  and  is  not  only  an 
exhortation,  but  a  power  that  makes  others  act  rightly. 

Where,  in  fact,  have  the  saints  learned  to  love  God  if 
it  was  not  in  mental  prayer  ?  Where  did  a  St.  Philip 
Neri  receive  a  love  so  ardent,  that  his  poor  heart,  not 
being  able  to  support  it,  two  ribs  expanded  so  as  to 
give  more  space  to  its  palpitations  ?  Where  was  a  St. 
Peter  of  Alcantara  inflamed  with  such  a  love  for  God 
that,  in  order  not  to  die  of  this  love,  he  was  obliged  to 
go  into  the  field,  and  sometimes  throw  himself  upon  the 
ice  ?  Where  was  a  St.  Mary  Magdalene  de  Pazzi  in 
flamed  with  the  same  fire,  she  going  nearly  out  of  her 
self  on  account  of  this  love  ?  Where  was  a  St.  Teresa 
wounded, — she  who  has  written  of  herself,  that  when 
she  began  to  practise  mental  prayer,  only  then  she  be 
gan  to  feel  what  it  is  to  love  God  ? 

Ah!  dear  Fathers,  let  us  not  think  that  mental  prayer 
is  an  exercise  only  peculiar  to  solitaries,  and  not  to 
those  that  are  occupied  in  an  active  life.  Tertullian  calls 
all  priests  "  persons  devoted  to  prayer  and  contempla 
tion."  '  The  Apostles  were  not  solitaries;  they  were 
very  great  workers  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the  world. 
Now  what  did  they  do  in  order  to  have  time  to  devote 
themselves  to  mental  prayer?  They  appointed  deacons 
who  were  charged  with  the  care  of  inferior  things,  and 
they  said:  But  we  will  give  ourselves  continually  to  prayer, 
and  to  the  ministry  of  the  word?  Note  the  words,  prayer  and 
the  ministry  of  the  word;  at  first  prayer,  and  then  preach 
ing,  because  without  prayer  we  can  do  no  good.  What 
matters  it  that  we  are  not  solitaries,  called  to  a  con 
templative  life?  If  we  wish  to  sanctify  ourselves  by 
becoming  good  evangelical  laborers,  it  will  be  neces- 

1  "  Genus  deditum  oration!  et  contemplation!." 

2  "  Nos  vero  orationi  et  ministerio  verbi  instantes  erimus. " — Acts, 
vi.  4. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  465 

sary  that  we  apply  ourselves  to  mental  prayer,  and 
much  mental  prayer;  not  a  quarter,  or  half  an  hour  in 
passing,  but  much  more,  much  more;  otherwise  it  will, 
morally  speaking,  be  impossible  for  us  to  become  saints. 

In  the  midst  of  our  greatest  labors  we  must  always 
find  time  to  give  a  little  rest  to  our  soul,  as  Jesus  Christ 
has  enjoined  upon  the  Apostles:  Rest  a  little.1  In  retreat 
and  in  mental  prayer  the  soul  sits  down,  as  it  were,  and 
takes  rest,  and  gathers  new  strength  to  work  better. 
He  shall  sit  solitary,  and  hold  his  peace,  because  he  hath 
taken  it  upon  himself?  When  a  soul  comes  forth  from 
mental  prayer  it  is  quite  changed.  Hence  I  think 
highly  of  the  good  practice  of  those  that  reserve  for 
themselves  every  week  a  day  of  retreat,  a  day  entirely 
consecrated  to  the  repose  of  the  soul.  On  this  day  we 
do  not  hear  confessions,  we  do  not  study:  we  apply 
only  to  mental  prayer,  to  spiritual  reading,  to  holy 
solitude.  There  are  religious  institutes  that  allow  every 
week  a  day  of  recreation  for  the  body,  in  order  that  the 
body  may  have  more  strength  to  work,  and  be  better 
able  to  resist  fatigue.  Why  should  we  not  also  give  to 
the  soul  a  day  of  spiritual  recreation,  so  that  it  may  be 
better  able  to  bear  the  fatigue,  considering  that  in  ex 
terior  works  it  becomes  always  a  little  dissipated  ? 

Yes,  I  repeat,  we  stand  much  in  need  of  mental 
prayer,  of  not  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  nor  half  an  hour, 
but  much  more.  Show  me  an  apostolic  laborer  who 
has  sanctified  himself  without  much  mental  prayer;  as 
for  myself,  I  can  find  none.  I  see  that  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  the  wonder  of  apostolic  workers,  spent  most  of  the 
night  in  the  churches  to  make  mental  prayer,  and  that 
after  a  short  rest  which  he  took  in  the  sacristy  he  went 
to  pour  out  the  affections  of  his  heart  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  where  the  Lord  so  filled  him  with  his  con- 

1  "  Requiescite  pnsillum." — Mark,  vi.  31. 

2  "  Scdebit  solitarius,  et  tacebit,  quia  levavit  super  se. " — Lam.  Hi.  28. 


466  Appendix. 

solations  that  he  cried  out:  "It  is  enough,  O  Lord,  it 
is  enough!"  :  I  read  of  the  Blessed  John  Francis  Regis, 
the  great  missionary  of  France,  that  after  having  spent 
the  whole  day  in  preaching  and  hearing  confessions, 
instead  of  resting,  he  went  before  the  door  of  the 
church,  which  was  closed,  and  conversed  there  with  his 
God  during  the  whole  night.  You  know  what  were  the 
labors  of  a  St.  Philip  Neri,  and  what  was  his  love  for 
prayer.  St.  Vincent  Ferrer,  the  apostle  of  Spain,  used 
to  make  before  preaching  an  hour's  meditation.  All 
evangelical  laborers  have  only  imitated  in  this  their 
model  and  chief,  Jesus  Christ,  who  spent  sometimes  the 
whole  night  in  prayer:  He  passed  the  whole  night  in  the 
prayer  of  God? 

Undoubtedly,  when  God  commands  us  to  leave  men 
tal  prayer  in  order  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
we  must  obey  by  leaving  God  for  God.  Let  us  then 
apply  ourselves  to  the  good  of  our  neighbor  as  much  as 
it  is  necessary;  but  let  us  not  lose  time:  let  us  avoid 
useless  conversations,  and  not  listen  to  vain  discourses. 
The  time  lost  is  a  thing  that  God  does  not  command. 
As  soon  as  we  are  free  let  us  return  to  prayer.  And 
even  in  the  midst  of  our  occupations,  while  hearing 
confessions,  preaching,  or  doing  anything  else,  we 
must  always  preserve  in  our  hearts  the  little  cell  of  St. 
Catharine  of  Sienna,  where  we  may  be  anxious  to  enter 
from  time  to  time  in  order  to  speak  to  God  by  an  act 
of  love  or  some  ejaculatory  prayer.  We  must  also  take 
care  not  to  lose  sight  of  holy  solitude,  and  not  cease  to 
love  it.  We  should  imitate  the  Spouse  of  the  Canticles, 
who  said  to  his  Well-beloved:  Flee  away,  O  My  beloved, 
.  .  upon  the  mountains  of  aromatic al  spices?  She  did  not 
wish  that  the  divine  Spouse  should  depart  from  her  and 

1  "Sat  est,  Domine,  sat  est!" 

2  "  Erat  pernoctans  in  oratione  Dei." — Luke,  vi.  12. 

3  "  Fuge,  Dilecte  mi  ...   super  monies  aromatum." — Cant.  viii.  14. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  46  7 

abandon  her;  but  knowing  that  he  was  accustomed  to 
speak  in  solitude,  she  begged  him  to  retire  to  the  solitary 
mountains,  so  that  she  might  be  able  to  converse  with 
him  alone.  It  is  thus  that  in  our  labors,  and  then  more 
than  ever,  we  should  sigh  after  happy  solitude,  desiring 
ardently,  as  a  thirsty  hart  desires  the  fountain  of 
waters,  to  see  the  moment  of  prayer  arrive  in  order  to 
go  to  converse  alone  with  God. 

And  how  long  should  we  converse  with  God  ?  Would 
it  be  a  very  great  thing  to  give  ourselves  up  to  prayer 
for  two  hours  a  day,  one  hour  in  the  morning,  the  other 
in  the  evening?  Let  us  devote  ourselves  to  it  at  least 
for  an  hour  every  day.  Ah!  I  would  regard  it  as  a  suc 
cess  if,  with  God's  help,  I  should  obtain  as  the  fruit  of 
this  retreat  that  some  among  you,  even  if  it  were  only 
one  of  you,  would  desire  to  increase  a  little  the  time 
given  to  prayer.  You  at  least  who  are  candidates  for 
ordination  do  so;  increase  the  time  of  mental  prayer; 
all  depends  on  the  good  habit  that  you  acquire  in  the 
beginning.  For  those  who  for  a  number  of  years  have 
the  habit  of  making,  for  example,  a  half-hour's  medi 
tation,  and  not  more,  it  would  be  difficult  to  add 
more  to  it;  they  would  believe  that  it  would  be  an  in 
jury  to  them  to  add  more  mental  prayer. 

No,  I  repeat,  it  is  not  a  great  sacrifice  to  spend  every 
day  two  hours  in  conversing  with  Jesus  Crucified  or 
with  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  /  sat  down  under  His 
shadow,  whom  I  desired?  Oh!  what  a  paradise  to  be  able 
to  speak  with  Jesus  Christ  exposed  during  the  Forty 
Hours'  devotion,  or  under  other  circumstances,  or  to 
visit  some  solitary  church  where  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
is  kept!  Seculars,  to  our  shame  be  it  said,  spend  there 
sometimes  whole  hours.  It  is  precisely  to  converse 
often  with  us  that  our  dear  Saviour  remains  on  earth  in 

1  "  Sub  umbra  illins  quern  desideraveram,  sedi." — Cant.  ii.  3. 


468  Appendix. 

the  Blessed  Sacrament;  when  he  is  shut  up  there,  he 
asks,  he  prays,  so  to  speak,  that  we  go  to  speak  to  him. 

But  you  will  perhaps  say,  Two  hours! — that  is  too 
much.  How!  it  would  be  too  much,  two  hours  of  men 
tal  prayer!  Do  you  not  then  know  what  mental  prayer 
is?  It  consists  in  speaking  familiarly  with  God,  as  a 
friend  speaks  with  a  friend,  says  St.  Teresa.  In  mental 
prayer  we  find  those  wings  so  greatly  desired  by  the 
Royal  Prophet,  by  the  aid  of  which  he  raised  himself  up 
to  perfection:  -Who  will  give  me  wings  like  a  dove,  and  I 
will  fly  and  be  at  rest?1  What  perfection  could  we  ever 
acquire  without  mental  prayer  ?  It  is  an  excellent 
school  in  which  one  learns  the  heavenly  science  of  the 
saints.  Permit  me  still  to  say  before  finishing,  So 
many  studies  to  which  we  devote  ourselves,  so  many 
languages  that  we  wish  to  know,  so  much  knowledge, 
so  many  various  sciences  that  we  try  to  master,  are 
without  doubt  good:  no  one  denies  that;  they  may  be 
useful.  It  would,  however,  be  better  first  to  study  Holy 
Scripture,  the  Canons,  Dogmatic  Theology,  to  be  ready 
to  satisfy  also  this  modern  erudition  that  is  diffused 
throughout  the  world.  But  what  is  above  all  neces 
sary  to  us  is  the  beautiful  science  of  the  saints,  which 
consists  in  loving  God;  a  science  that  we  learn,  not  in 
books,  but  before  the  Crucifix,  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament. 

Mental  prayer,  then,  dear  Fathers,  mental  prayer! 
The  more  we  desire  to  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls, 
the  more  we  need  light  and  strength,  since  we  are  to  give 
light  and  strength  to  others.  What  warmth  and  what 
light  can  be  communicated  to  other  lamps  by  a  lamp 
that  scarcely  burns,  that  is  in  danger  of  being  extin 
guished  ?  Ah!  would  to  God  that  it  would  not  occur 
daily  that  a  priest  who  devotes  himself  to  the  salvation 

5  "  Quis  dabit  mihi  pennas  sicut  columbae,  et  volabo,  et  requiescam." 
—  Ps.  liv.  7. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  469 

of  souls,  having  himself  but  little  fervor,  little  love  for 
God,  become-s  more  and  more  lukewarm,  even  falls 
sometimes  over  the  precipice,  and  ends  by  losing  God! 
How  many  examples  of  a  similar  misfortune  do  exist! 
Do  you  not  yourselves  know  of  some  priest,  who,  wish 
ing  to  hear  confessions,  to  convert  others,  has  after 
wards  succumbed  to  the  occasions,  and  in  them  has  lost 
God? 

After  this  we  say  that  it  is  too  much  to  spend  two 
hours  in  mental  prayer!  Such  was  not  the  thought  of 
a  St.  Francis  Borgia,  who  after  eight  hours  of  prayer 
asked  the  favor  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  more;  a  St. 
Rose  of  Lima,  who  spent  twelve  hours  a  day  in  prayer; 
a  St.  Anthony  the  Abbot,  who,  after  having  devoted 
the  whole  night  to  prayer,  complained  in  the  morning 
that  the  sun  arose  so  soon  and  obliged  him  to  finish. 
And  how  many  young  virgins,  how  many  seculars,  even 
mechanics,  make  four,  five,  and  six  hours  of  mental 
prayer!  Is  this  not  a  subject  of  confusion  for  us  who 
are  priests  ?  Will  they  not  have  to  judge  us  on  the  last 
day?  Ah,  priests  of  the  Lord!  let  us  not  allow  our 
selves  to  be  surpassed  by  others  in  the  love  for  God, 
while  as  priests  we  are  under  greater  obligations  than 
others  to  love  him.  Let  us  not  lose  any  more  time; 
who  knows  how  many  days  are  still  left  us  to  live  ?  Let 
us  love  God,  at  least  on  account  of  the  great  desire  and 
the  firm  will  that  he  has  of  being  loved  by  us  who  are 
his  priests. 

O  my  God!  it  is  then  true  that  Thou  wishest  to  be 
loved  by  me.  And  of  what  use  will  life  be  if  I  do  not 
employ  it  entirely  to  love  Thee,  who  art  my  Lord  and 
my  God,  my  supreme  and  only  good  ?  I  am  not  worthy 
to  love  Thee;  but  Thou  art  infinitely  worthy  of  being 
loved;  Thou  hast  all  the  qualities  that  render  Thee 
amiable:  Thou  art  beautiful,  loving,  beneficent,  faith 
ful;  what  dost  Thou  need  more  to  be  loved  ?  There 


470  Appendix. 

remains  only  one  thing  to  be  done:  it  is,  that  I  love 
Thee.  But  why  should  I  not  love  Thee,  O  my  God! 
Why  ?  what  should  I  love  if  I  do  not  love  Thee  ?  Out 
side  of  Thee,  to  whatever  side  I  turn,  I  find  nothing 
amiable;  I  see  only  creatures,  earthly  objects;  I  see 
only  smoke  and  misery.  "  O  fire  that  dost  always 
burn,"  I  will  say  with  St.  Augustine,  "inflame  me!" 
O  God,  who  art  all  afire  with  love,  thoroughly  inflame 
me,  consume  me  with  love  for  Thee! 

Have  we  a  better  means  to  love  God  than  continually 
to  ask  him  for  his  holy  love  ?  I  desire,  says  Jesus 
Christ  to  us,  I  desire  to  inflame  thy  heart  as  thou  desirest, 
thou  who  art  my  priest;  but  come  to  mental  prayer: 
Arise,  My  love,  my  beautiful  one,  and  come?  I  expect  thee 
in  solitude;  it  is  there  that  I  have  prepared  for  thee  the 
abundance  of  my  favors. 

Ah,  dear  Fathers,  of  what  advantage  is  it  not  to  love 
God!  The  only  thing  that  we  find  at  the  moment  of 
death  will  be  to  have  loved  God — nothing  more.  If  we 
have  obtained  honors,  possessed  a  convenient  house,  suc 
ceeded  in  our  undertakings,  at  the  end  what  shall  we 
find  ?  Nothing  but  that  we  have  loved  God.  Alas! 
what  are  we  doing  in  this  world,  if  we  are  not  occupied 
therein  in  loving  God  ?  Should  we  seek  to  amass 
riches,  to  gain  the  esteem  of  others,  to  enjoy  pleasures, 
to  acquire  honors  ?  What  interest  have  we  in  the 
world  ?  /  have  chosen  you  out  of  the  world?  God  has 
withdrawn  us  from  the  world,  and  we  should  wish  to 
throw  ourselves  again  into  it?  Ah!  the  world,  honors, 
pleasures!  let  us  live,  and  let  us  live  only  in  order  to 
love  God;  and  to  do  this,  let  us  devote  ourselves  to 
prayer,  to  prayer.  By  this  means  we  shall  have  the 

1  "  O  ignis  qui  semper  ardes!  accende  me." — Solil.  an.  ad D.  c.  19. 

2  "  Veni,  columba  mea  in  foraminibus  petrae,  in  caverna  maceriae."- 
Cant.  ii.  13. 

3  "  Elegi  vos  de  mundo. " — John,  xv.  19. 


Necessity  of  Mental  Prayer.  4  7 1 

happiness  of  leaving  this  world  while  thanking  God,  like 
the  glorious  martyr  St.  Agatha,  who  said  at  the  moment 
of  her  death:  "  O  Lord,  who  hast  taken  from  me  the 
love  of  the  world!  receive  now  my  soul."  '  Ah!  a  thou 
sand  times  happy  shall  we  be  if  we  can  then  also  say: 
"  The  kingdom  of  this  world  and  all  the  beauty  of  life 
I  have  esteemed  as  nothing,  for  the  excellency  of  the 
love  of  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord." ' 

0  Mary,  my  tender  Mother!   thou  whose  whole  life 
was  a  continual  prayer,  since  even  sleep  did  not  hinder 
thee  from   keeping  thyself   united  with    God,  deign   to 
remember  us.    Thou  didst  do  to  St.  Rose  the  charity  to 
awaken  her  when  it  was  time  for  prayer:  in  the  same 
way,  when  thou  seest  us  fallen  asleep   in  negligence,  in 
lukewarmness,  have  the  kindness   to  come  to  awaken 
us,  and  to  recall  us  to  the  duty  of  attending  to  prayer, 
which  should  inflame  us  with  love  for  God  and  for  thee, 
so  that  afterwards  we   may  be  able  to  go  to  love  thee 
for  all  eternity  in  paradise. 

Live  Jesus  and  Mary:  with  Joseph  and  Teresa! 

1  "  Domine,   qui   abstulisti   a   me   amorem   sseculi,  accipe   animam 
meam." — Off.  5  febr. 

2  "  Regnum   mundi  et   omnem   ornatum  sseculi  contempsi,  propter 
amorem  Domini  mei  Jesu  Christi!" — Comm.  non  Virg. 


INDEX. 


A 

ABNEGATION,  see  Interior  Mortification. 

AMBITION,  it  causes  the  ruin  of  souls,  351. 

ANGER,  it  must  be  repressed,  323. 

APPETITE,  see  Taste. 

AVARICE,  horror  that  a  priest  should  have  of  it,  345. 

B 

BISHOPS,  their  responsibility  with  regard  to  Masses  celebrated  with- 
out  due  respect,  223.  As  to  what  concerns  the  candidates  for 
ordination,  see  Vocation. 

BLESSED  SACRAMENT,  daily  visit  to  it,  in  what  it  consists,  432. 

BLINDNESS  of  the  soul  caused  by  impurity,  113. 

C 

CHARITY,  we  should  render  good  for  evil,  444.  Charity  that  a  con 
fessor  should  have,  274. 

CHASTITY,  the  merit  of  this  virtue,  243;  its  necessity  in  the  priest, 
108,  243,  and  in  the  candidate  for  the  priesthood,  197;  means  of 
preserving  chastity,  247,  309,  375,  435;  dangers  to  be  avoided, 
252,  276,  435. 

CLERIC,  what  this  name  signifies,  54. 

COMMUNION,  it  effaces  venial  sins,  103;  after  Communion  the  Lord 
dispenses  his  grace  most  abundantly,  227. 

COMPANY,  DANGEROUS,  we  must  avoid  it,  254,  257,  435. 

CONFESSORS:  power  that  they  exercise,  26,  charity  and  firmness 
which  they  must  have,  274;  many  err  by  too  great  rigor  or  too 
great  indulgence,  20,  277;  how  to  act  in  regard  to  those  living  in 
the  occasion  of  sin,  281,  and  those  who  are  relapsing  sinners, 
283,  285,  and  habitual  sinners,  285.  Obligation  for  every  priest 
to  hear  confessions,  and  to  render  himself  capable  of  doing  so, 
158,  182,  265,  271,  The  knowledge  required  to  hear  confessions 


474  Index. 


well,  273.  When  one  may  shorten  the  thanksgiving  to  go  to 
hear  confessions,  429. 

CONFIDENCE  with  which  sinners  should  be  animated,  21  Our  faults 
should  not  make  us  lose  confidence,  318,  436.  Confidence  that 
one  should  have  in  the  Blessed  Virgin,  414. 

CONFORMITY  to  the  will  of  God,  a  principal  means  of  sanctifying  one's 
self,  403,  441. 

CONTEMPT  must  be  borne,  320,  330;  those  that  love  God  are  de 
lighted  when  receiving  contempt,  334. 

D 

DEATH,  we  should  wish  for  it  in  order  to  go  promptly  to  heaven  and 
to  be  delivered  from  the  danger  of  losing  it,  442.  We  should 
assist  the  dying,  181,  193. 

DESIRE  for  perfection,  first  means  of  sanctifying  one's  self,  391.  De 
sire  for  death,  442. 

DESOLATIONS,  spiritual,  they  cannot  prevent  us  from  making  medi 
tation,  293. 

DIGNITY  of  the  priest,  23,  154;  see  Priest. 

DIRECTOR,  spiritual,  one  should  obey  him  as  one  obeys  God,  357, 
358,  434- 

DISTRUST  of  one's  self,  necessary  to  evangelical  laborers,  315. 

DRESS  of  priests,  should  be  modest,  373,  435. 


ELOQUENCE  simple  and  popular,  the  most  profitable  manner  of  preach 
ing,  even  when  the  people  are  well  instructed,  269;  see  Preach 
ing. 

END  of  the  priesthood,  39,  and  of  the  works  of  the  priest,  19,  177, 
217,  267. 

END,  final,  the  people  as  well  as  priests,  should  often  be  put  in  mind 
of  it,  20. 

EXAMPLE,  or  good  example  which  the  priest  must  give,  62,  140,  230, 
239,  266,  451,  454. 

EXAMPLES  quoted:  the  respect  that  princes  should  show  to  the  priest, 
30;  even  the  angels  honor  him,  31;  the  saints  dreaded  the 
sacerdotal  office,  39,  186;  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  170; 
reward  of  this  zeal,  174;  zeal  in  regard  to  the  saying  of  Mass, 
228;  scandal  given  by  saying  Mass  without  devotion,  221,  and 
without  making  thanksgiving,  226;  tepidity  in  the  service  of  God, 
100;  blindness  of  the  soul  produced  by  an  impure  passion,  116; 
punishment  of  this  vice,  117,  119;  means  to  conquer  it,  or  the 


Index.  475 

recitation  of  the  "  Hail  Mary,"  263;  indiscreet  severity,  327; 
flight  from  dangerous  occasions,  253,  256;  temptations  caused  by 
looks,  365;  modesty  of  the  eyes,  370;  consequences  of  vanity 
and  of  pride,  310,  312;  false  humility,  319;  sobriety,  374;  pen 
ances  self  imposed,  377;  patience  amid  inconveniences  and 
humiliations,  330,  332,  335,  366,  379,  399. 

EXERCISES,  spiritual,  admonitions  necessary  for  him  who  gives  the 
spiritual  exercises  to  priests,  19,  Monthly  retreat,  recommended, 

434- 
EYES,  we  should  mortify  them,  367. 

F 

FIRMNESS,  necessary  to  the  confessor,  274. 
FORTITUDE,  necessary  in  the  confessor,  276. 

G 

GAMES:  there  are  some  that  are  simple,  and  the  others  are  not  suit 
able  for  priests,  251. 

GLUTTONY,  a  pernicious  vice,  which  should  be  overcome  before  all 
things,  374,  430. 

H 

HABITUAL  sinners,  how  the  priest  should  treat  them,  285. 

HAIR,  modesty  in  wearing  it,  373. 

HONORS,  the  priest  should  be  detached  from  them,  351. 

HUMILITY,  a  necessary  virtue  in  the  priest,  305,  especially  to  obtain 
and  to  preserve  chastity,  260,  309.  Practice  of  humility:  to 
have  a  horror  of  pride,  309;  not  to  glory  in  the  good  that  we  do, 
312;  we  must  distrust  ourselves,  315,  accept  humiliation,  319,  444. 
False  humility,  319,  443. 

I 

IDLENESS,  dangerous  to  chastity,  258. 

INCONTINENCE,  the  evil  that  it  creates,  107;  its  malice  in  a  priest,  109; 
its  sad  consequences,  blindness  of  the  soul,  113;  obstinacy  of 
the  will,  117;  eternal  damnation,  119.  Decrees  against  incontinent 
ecclesiastics,  108.  Remedies  against  this  vice,  120;  see  Chastity. 

INTENTION  required  to  enter  holy  Orders,  192.  Intention  or  end 
that  the  evangelical  laborer  should  have,  19,  177,  396.  The  in 
tention  of  pleasing  God  in  all  things  is  a  great  means  of  sanctify 
ing  one's  self,  395,  439. 

JESUS  CHRIST  died  to  institute  the  priesthood,  and  he  gives  himself 
up  into  the  priest's  hands,  26.  Price  that  is  attached  to  the  souls  of 
men,  167.  We  must  love  him  in  order  to  preach  well,  and  it  is  the 


476  Index. 


science  of  the  saints,  296,  450.  How  much  he  deserved  to  be 
loved,  386;  and  how  much  he  loves  a  soul  that  is  devoted  to  him, 
389.  He  wishes  us  to  think  of  his  Passion,  and  we  cannot  often 
think  of  it  without  loving  him,  215,  387,  438.  When  we  love 
him,  we  suffer  all  with  joy,  334.  We  find  in  him  a  model  of  de 
votion  to  prayer,  289,  of  meekness,  322,  of  mortification,  339. 

L 

LAW-SUITS,  the  priest  should  not  take  charge  of  those  of  others,  nor 
of  his  own,  349. 

LOVE,  divine,  science  of  the  saints,  true  wisdom  which  we  should  pre 
fer  to  everything  else,  295,  449,  470;  it  procures  joy  in  sufferings 
and  humiliations,  394;  how  one  acquires  it,  391,  395,  436,  438. 
The  priest  should  belong  entirely  to  God,  384.  See  Jesus  Christ 
and  Sanctity. 

M 

MANIPLE,  its  origin,  217. 

MARY,  Mother  of  God,  necessity  of  her  intercession,  409,  and  con 
fidence  that  we  should  have  in  it,  414,  how  good  is  devotion 
to  Mary  in  order  to  obtain  and  preserve  purity,  263.  Practice  of 
devotion  to  Mary,  421,  442;  fasts  in  her  honor,  431,  442;  visits, 
432,  442.  A  priest  should  strive  to  make  her  loved  and  honored, 
421,  442. 

MASS,  whence  its  name,  217.  Mass  renders  to  God  an  infinite  honor, 
25,  122,  209.  Benefit  that  confers  upon  the  world,  210,  224,  and 
what  it  should  above  all  confer  upon  the  celebrant,  213,  225.  In 
Mass,  Jesus  Christ  obeys  the  priest,  26.  Sanctity  that  it  requires 
of  the  priest,  48,  no,  122,  212,  214.  The  respect  and  devotion 
with  which  he  should  celebrate  Mass,  217.  How  great  a  crime 
of  the  priest  who  celebrates  in  the  state  of  mortal  sin,  125;  he 
commits  four  mortal  sins,  129.  Faults  that  many  priests  commit 
in  celebrating,  218,  Mass  said  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
canaot  be  excused  from  a  grievous  sin,  220.  The  preparation, 
213,  428;  one  should  propose  to  one's  self  three  ends,  217. 
Thanksgiving,  226,428;  when  one  may  shorten  it,  429.  Priests 
who  abstain  from  saying  Mass  through  humility,  228.  Responsi 
bility  of  bishops  in  regard  to  Mass,  223. 

MAXIMS,  spiritual,  for  a  priest,  446. 

MEEKNESS,  merit  of  this  virtue,  322.  It  gains  hearts  for  God,  332.  Its 
practice:  to  repress  anger,  323;  to  bear  with  contempt,  330.  It 
does  not  prevent  one  from  being  just  and  severe,  325.  We 
should  practise  it  also  towards  ourselves,  328. 


Index.  477 

MENTAL  prayer,  how  necessary  it  is  to  the  priest,  214,  267,  289,  428, 
454;  without  mental  prayer  it  will  be  difficult  for  a  priest  to  be 
saved,  455,  and  impossible  for  him  to  attain  perfection,  462. 
Mental  prayer  and  mortification  are  the  principal  means  to 
sanctify  one's  self,  340.  The  time  that  we  should  give  to  mental 
prayer,  214,  467.  Answer  to  excuses:  spiritual  desolation,  294; 
study,  295;  labors,  299.  We  should  often  meditate  on  the  Pas 
sion  of  Jesus  Christ,  215,  387,  438. 

MODESTY,  a  virtue  necessary  to  the  priest,  240,  372;  modesty  in 
words,  372,  in  dress,  in  his  hair,  373,  and  above  all  in  his  looks, 
252,  367. 

MORTIFICATION  in  general,  how  necessary  it  is,  337;  it  is  the  first  means 
to  acquire  sanctity,  258,  339;  practice:  detachment  from  prop 
erty,  345,  from  honors,  351,  from  relatives,  354,  from  self-will, 
357;  means  of  conquering  self-will,  360.  Necessity  of  exterior 
mortification,  362;  its  fruits,  365;  practice:  in  the  pains  that 
happen  to  us,  and  in  lawful  pleasures,  365;  the  eyes,  367;  in  the 
whole  exterior,  371;  in  the  taste  or  appetite,  374;  in  the  touch, 
377,  in  the  pains  that  happen  of  themselves,  379,  399.  Sum 
mary,  444.  The  good  that  is  derived  from  a  mortified  life,  383. 

O 

OCCASION,  necessity  of  avoiding  it  to  preserve  chastity,  248,  369. 
Remote,  proximate,  voluntary,  necessary  occasion,  281.  How 
the  confessor  should  act  in  regard  to  those  in  the  occasion  of  sin, 
282. 

OFFICE,  divine,  how  to  recite  it,  302. 

ORDERS,  sacred,  see  Priest,  Vocation. 

P 

PARENTS,  one  need  not  obey  them  when  there  is  question  of  voca 
tion,  190.  The  priest  should  be  detached  from  his  relatives, 
354- 

PARISH  PRIESTS,  their  responsibility  in  regard  to  candidates  for  ordi 
nation,  197. 

PASSIONS  should  be  subjected  to  reason,  341,  and  one  should  apply 
one's  self  to  the  subjugation  of  the  dominant  passion,  343. 

PATIENCE  in  pains  and  humiliations,  a  great  means  of  sanctifying 
one's  self,  379,  399. 

PENANCE  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  penance,  see  Confessor. 
The  priest  should  often  confess,  and  obey  his  spiritual  director, 
357.  358,  434-  Penitential  works  that  should  be  practised,  377. 

PERFECTION,  see  Sanctity. 


478  Index. 

PRAYER,  should  often  be  recommended,  21;  it  is  particularly  neces 
sary  for  the  priest,  289.  It  is  a  great  means  to  obtain  and  to 
preserve  chastity,  261.  We  should  pray  without  ceasing,  445. 
To  pray  well  we  should  practise  mental  prayer,  292. 

PREACHING,  it  is  a  duty  of  the  priest,  181,  265.  We  should  begin  by 
preaching  by  example,  238,  266,  451,  454.  Intention  that  one 
should  have,  20,  177,  267.  Success  should  be  expected  from  the 
divine  mercy,  21,  317.  It  is  necessary  that  the  preacher  makes 
the  discourse  his  own,  19.  He  should  adopt  a  simple  and 
popular  manner,  269,  and  renounce  vain  ornaments,  20,  268,  452. 
Respect  and  sweetness  are  necessary  in  order  to  convince  any 
one,  21.  He  must  inspire  sinners  with  confidence,  and  often 
recommend  prayer,  21;  frequently  remind  them  of  the  last 
things,  and  speak  of  practical  things,  20,  271. 

PREPARATION  for  Mass,  its  importance,  213,  429.  Preparation  is 
twofold:  remote  and  proximate,  214.  The  priest  should  propose 
to  himself  three  ends,  217. 

PRIDE,  a  vice  incompatible  with  chastity,  260,  309.  God  detests  the 
proud,  307. 

PRIEST,  SACERDOS  and  PRESBYTER,  explanation  of  these  names,  46, 
157,  234.  Dignity  of  the  priest,  23,  154.  His  power  over  the 
real  body  and  the  mystical  body  of  Jesus  Christ,  26,  32,  34. 
Chief  titles  which,  besides  that  of  priest,  express  his  dignity  and 
his  offices:  ambassador  of  the  Church  with  God,  24;  leader  of  the 
flock  of  Jesus  Christ,  187,  231;  creator  of  his  Creator,  35;  the 
husbandman  of  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord,  160;  a  God  on  earth, 
67,  156;  dispenser  of  the  sacraments,  60,  and  of  the  royal  house  of 
God,  187;  a  celestial  man,  78,  a  man  of  God,  54;  interpreter  of 
the  divine  law,  187;  judge,  having  the  power  of  the  keys,  27,  34; 
light  of  the  world,  140,  232;  spiritual  physician,  160;  mediator 
between  God  and  men,  34,  59,  179,  216;  minister,  ambassador, 
and  co-operator  of  God,  43,  54,  65,  155;  minister  of  the  altar,  55; 
mirror  of  the  world,  239;  model  of  virtues,  62,  139,  230;  father 
of  Christians,  144,  160,  234;  the  salt  of  the  earth,  140,  159,  232; 
the  temple,  the  house  of  God,  109,  160;  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ, 
34,  42,  59,  123.  He  belongs  not  to  himself,  but  to  God,  185. 
His  charge  is  formidable,  39,  43,  48,  157,  178;  his  duties,  see 
Mass,  Preaching,  Confessors,  Sanctity,  etc.  Reward  of  his  zeal, 
172.  If  he  is  a  sinner  or  tepid,  he  will  not  easily  be  converted,  21, 
77,  93.  When  God  wishes  to  chastise  a  people,  he  begins  with 
the  priests,  83. 

PROPERTY,  earthly,  one  must  be  detached  from  it,  345. 

PURITY,  see  Chastity. 


Index.  479 


R 

READING,  spiritual,  to  be  made  every  day,  431. 

RELAPSING  SINNERS,  how  the  priest  should  treat  them,  283,  285. 

RETREAT,  monthly,  recommended  to  priests,  434. 

RUBRICS  of  the  Mass,  they  bind  under  pain  of  sin,  218,  220. 

RULE  of  life  for  a  secular  priest,  427. 

RULES  spiritual  for  a  priest  who  aspires  to  perfection,  436. 


SANCTITY  which  a  priest  should  have,  48,  97,  no,  122,  178,  230,  286. 
Perfection  required  for  admission  to  holy  Orders,  192;  it  should 
be  greater  than  that  of  the  simply  religious,  192.  See  Chastity, 
Mortification,  Mental  Prayer,  Vocation.  Rule  of  life,  427.  Spirit 
ual  Rules,  436.  Spiritual  Maxims,  446.  The  priest  should  labor 
for  the  sanctification  of  souls,  see  Souls. 

•  • 

SCANDAL  given  by  the  priest,  its  gravity,  its  consequences,  138,  231. 
SCIENCE  requisite  in  order  to  take  holy  Orders,  193;  in  order  to  hear 

confessions,  273.     The  science  of  the  saints  necessary  before  all, 

296,  449,  468. 
SERMON,  see  Preaching. 

SEVERITY,  sometimes  just  and  necessary,  326. 
SILENCE,  one  should  love  it,  and  should  speak  only  to  edify  others, 

37i,  439- 

SiN;  gravity  of  the  sins  of  the  priest,  70,  109,  128,  142;  chastisement, 
75,  113;  the  sin  of  scandal,  138.  See  Incontinence.  The  little 
faults  about  which  one  cares  not  disposes  one  to  grievous  faults, 
89,  93,  103.  A  priest  cannot  be  satisfied  with  avoiding  grievous 
sins,  97.  How  venial  sins  are  cancelled,  102.  Sin  is  incom 
patible  with  mental  prayer,  292.  We  should  avoid  every  sin,  and 
being  troubled  after  sin,  329,  436.  The  sin  of  him  who  enters 
holy  Orders  without  a  vocation,  198.  The  confessor  should 
avoid  judging  lightly  that  a  sin  is  a  mortal  sin,  278. 

SOBRIETY,  always  necessary,  374,  430,  especially  at  supper,  433. 

SOLITUDE,  how  much  one  should  love  it,  439. 

SOULS,  the  priest  should  labor  for  their  salvation,  154,  161,  266; 
means  to  be  employed,  178,  265,  422;  pleasures  that  it  gives  to 
God  when  we  labor  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  166;  reward  of  his 
zeal,  172.  He  should,  above  all,  sanctify  himself,  298;  he  should 
fear  offices  to  which  the  care  of  souls  is  attached,  253. 

SPEECH,  the  priest  should  speak  little  and  in  a  proper  manner,  371. 

STUDY:  it  is  necessary  for  the  priest  to  study  Moral  Theology,  273; 
Study  does  not  prevent  one  from  practising  mental  prayer,  295; 


480  Index. 


we  should,  above  all,  apply  ourselves  to  making  progress  in  the 
science  of  the  saints,  450,  468. 

T 

TASTE,  mortification  in  eating  and  drinking,  374,  430,  433. 
TEMPTATIONS:    the  devil    tempts  one  priest   more    than   a  hundred 

seculars,  85,  101.     We  must  before  all  pray  in  temptations,  261. 

What  he  must  do  amid  carnal  temptations,  262,  435. 
TEPIDITY,  a  priest  is  not  easily  converted  from  tepidity,  21,  93;  his 

state,  his   conduct,  92.     Tepidity  disposes  one  to  grave  faults, 

88,  97.      How  does  God  begin  to  vomit  forth  the  tepid  priest,  96. 
THANKSGIVING  after  Mass,  its  importance,  the  time  and  the  care  to 

be  given  to  it,  226,  428;  when  we  may  abridge  it,  429. 
THEOLOGY,  moral,  a  difficult  science  and  necessary  for  the  priest, 

273- 

TOUCH,  the  sense  that  must  be  mortified,  377.  , 

TRAFFIC,  forbidden  to  ecclesiastics,  348. 

V 

VANITY,  its  dangers  and  its  consequences,  312,  316,  396. 

VISITS  to  be  made  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament  and  to  the  Blessed  Vir 
gin,  432. 

VOCATION,  divine,  its  necessity  for  taking  holy  Orders,  185,  198. 
Vocation  is  also  necessary  for  every  state  of  life,  201.  Marks  of 
vocation  to  the  priesthood,  189.  What  a  priest  should  do  who 
has  entered  Orders  without  a  vocation,  206. 

W 

WILL  of  God,  we  should  conform  to  it  in  all  things,  403,  441;  it  is 
manifested  to  us  by  Superiors  and  spiritual  directors,  359.  Self- 
will,  one  should  be  detached  from  it,  357. 

WINE,  dangerous  to  chastity,  259,  431. 

WOMEN:  one  must  avoid  looking  at  them  and  conversing  with  them, 
250,  367,  435. 

Z 

ZEAL  which  the  priest  should  have,  43,  154;  end,  means,  and  labors, 
177;  how  much  this  zeal  pleases  God,  166;  his  reward,  172. 


•4  - 


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BQ  7074  .14  A3  G7  v.12  SMC 

•  Liguori,  A.M. 
Complete  ascetical  works